Of Ferity
by The Lady Mage
Summary: Lost, abandoned, her family disjointed, she tries to make sense of a world where his enemies are now her allies. So she'll bide her time to play it safe, longing only for the return of her Sabretooth. But will he come back for her? POST X1! MASSIVE REWRITE!
1. Chapter 1

Greetings from The Lady Mage.

This story has been in my head- and in a rather tattered old notebook- for the better part of six years now. I had it written out and posted here some three years ago, but life sort of got in the way and I never finished it. LOL- I got married and had a baby girl that took up most of my time! (That I named Zosia but call Zoe- LOL) Well, Zoe's daddy ran out on us, so now I'm going to finish this story come hell or high water!

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. There are so few fictions out there with Sabretooth in them, and even fewer that paint a picture of him as being anything more than someone to either punch, or be punched by. He's probably going to be just a little bit OOC, but hey, this is fanfiction.

Also, the first time that I wrote these chappies out, I had much help from my buddy, Leonaria Dragonbane, and my Brit-buddy, Pookalife. They both helped me LOTS, and without them, this fic would have never made the internetz. Even now, after three years, they have both been helpful and supporting, and I thank them both VERY much!

And of the legalities: I do not, nor do I claim to, own XMen, the Brotherhood, or my beloved Sabretooth. This is all for fun- my fun and your fun- and I accept no payment for it outside of pats on the head and so on.

Please read and review!

The Lady Mage

* * *

FERITY: (fehr-ih-tee) - (noun) - 1.) The state of being wild or untamed. 2.) Savagery; Ferocity.

* * *

_Cycle of life and death supposedly goes 'round and 'round_

_Yet it stops with me_

_Glorious hunter of my faith I have sinned_

_Killers are quiet like the the breath of the wind_

_Killers Are Quiet- Slipknot_

* * *

He hadn't come to the woods to hunt, really- more to relax than anything else. He thought that perhaps he would find himself a nice, tall tree, and take himself a nice, long nap in it like he used to have time to do. Perhaps he could catch a couple squirrels- hell, maybe even a deer- for his dinner. He might even build himself a campfire and cook them, too. Afterward, he could continue to scout around the area to reacquaint himself with this particular part of his territory before returning to the aforementioned tree to sleep the night off. Work wasn't hard- in fact, he greatly enjoyed his work- but everyone has their limits. Sabretooth, finally, had reached his. He needed a break, and this little scouting trip, hopefully, would do the trick.

In the woods, it was a lovely spring day that soon would fade off into a lovely, cool night. The last of the winter's frosts had come and gone, and the woods were beginning to fill with green again. Grass grew up from the forest floor where the light could touch the ground, trees were becoming lush with foliage, animals were beginning to venture from their winter dens to hunt and explore. Had the feral man been a sentimental person, he very well could have said to himself that this day- this area- was actually quite beautiful. Luckily enough for him, he was just about rid of all sentimental tendencies. What few hadn't been either starved or beaten from him as a child, had slowly shrank to little more than several bad memories in the dark black of his mind.

Unconcerned with how pretty things objectively were or were not, the lion-became-man wandered his way through the trees, flehming the air as he went, and pausing now and then as any new smells passed through his sinuses. A fox to the east chased a squirrel to the west; a pack of wolves roused from their den south of them. He could smell water, and remembered that there was a little stream about two miles ahead of him, winding its way through the trees and boulders that made up the terrain farther ahead. Knowing instinctively that he would catch better prey at a water source, he changed his course to head that way.

The feral man had only taken another few steps when a new, and decidedly interesting, scent captured his senses. He stopped, breathing deep. This scent was light, almost flowery, with a hint of spice, and laced with something undoubtably feminine. Beneath the delicate smell was the heady scent of blood, but he couldn't tell what specie the blood belonged to.

Perhaps some stupid human woman had gotten herself lost out here?

No. Highly unlikely. Why would anyone- man or woman- be this far into the wilderness? The closest camping grounds were a good fifty-five miles away due West; the nearest town was at least twice that. The old hiking trails were about thirty-two miles South, Southeast depending, but the last time he had been on them had shown him that they were used perhaps once or twice a year, tops. Where the hell did thie woman come from? What was she doing in HIS woods?

He inhaled deep again. The scent was coming from the East- due East. Without realizing it, he drew in another lungful or the piquant smell. It stuck to the back of his throat, coating it, and he could taste it on his tongue as though he'd drank it in. It was unlike anything or anyone he'd come across before, and yet it held a haunting familiarity about it- as though he should know that scent.

'_Hmmm. Interesting._'

With a curious scowl- an expression entirely his own- he set off East to locate the owner of this new, unusual scent.

The terrain was progressively rougher the closer he walked to the stream. Trees grew in thick patches, scattered. Some were birch, some oak, most were fir. Boulders seemed to sprout from the ground, and he had to climb over them as he followed the scent to his prey. Though the female scent grew stronger in his nostrils, the smell of any forest animals grew faint. That was strange- they should be flocking to the water source- not staying away. It took him about fifteen minutes to walk the two miles to the stream, and he crouched beside the water's edge when he reached it. The water was clean and clear, and he could see the silt and pebbles glittering through it. Fish, small but tasty, swam with the gentle current, making homes beneath the rocks along the banks. Cupping his hands together, he dipped them beneath the water's surface, and took a drink of cool water before crossing on the few rocks that stuck out above the water's surface.

Standing on the other side, his attention was drawn to a little sapling a few feet from the bank. Hanging on a low branch was a little, cone-shaped basket. Wet, it still smelled of fish. He pulled it into his hands, turning it over to examine the craftsmanship. Glancing back to the small brook, he could see where someone had tied a line across the water, using the basket to catch fish in the current. It almost looked as though whoever put it there knew what they were doing- he'd never thought to use a basket to catch fish. Said basket was put back on its branch, and he continued his way through the woods. The hauntingly familiar scent was stronger on this side of the water.

Beyond the next line of trees lay a little path that was beginning to become worn. As he stepped onto it, the smell of smoke wafted past his nose. Pausing, he wondered if someone had built a cabin out here. He'd not been in this part of the woods for a good six- maybe eight- months. Was that long enough for someone to build more than a meager shanty? Was it maybe some poachers out here after wolf's hide? Perhaps it was a group of campers wanting to really rough it? Well, that couldn't be- he'd have smelled more than just the one female.

"Hrmmm."

Where there is smoke, there is people, so he continued along the pathway. A couple dozen yards in, he came to a clearing fifteen feet across. Growing in the middle of the clearing was a tall, old tree- its trunk so big around that he probably wouldn't be able to touch his hands around it. Either dead or dying, is grew no leaves on its branches, and its only source of green came from several vines of ivy growing up its trunk.

Of course, it was not the ivy itself, nor its big, purple blossoms, that caught and held his attention.

Halfway up the tree, a female lay outstretched on a thick branch. She lounged on her stomach, with her hands curled up beneath her head for a pillow, and her legs hanging limply down on either side of the branch as she slept. He raised one eyebrow, walking closer.

She was young, definitely- perhaps not yet a woman- with pale cream-coloured skin. Her hair was thick and long, hanging down in big, loose auburn curls, swaying in the breeze. Her face was turned from him. A pair of dark green pants covered her legs, a black a-shirt covered her torso, and a pair of dark brown boots covered her feet. No jewelry he could see, no sparkly shit in her hair, no perfume or scented soaps. She smelled wild- like he knew he did- like earth and rain and wind.

At the base of the tree lay a little leather satchel next to a length of homemade vine rope, and another little cone basket. There was a little round campfire, surrounded by a circle of stones, but the fire was dying from lack of wood to burn. Beside it was a pile of kindling and sticks to feed it, and two flint stones used to light it. He stalked up to the satchel, jerking it up from the ground to turn it over in his hands. It was buckskin, homemade with skills to rival his own. The buckskin was soft like velvet, and held together with straight, even stitches of leather lacing. Who was this female?

The bag was dropped as he turned his attention to the branch above him. Scaling the tree was no problem. Lucky for him- now, but not as a helpless little-

He shook the thought from his head, ridding the memory. He'd been born with the instincts, balance, and claws to make scaling the tree as easy as climbing a ladder. Trees made very good places to hide in the summer and fall, and if you were being chased with- oh, say a pack of police hounds- it made it harder to be tracked. Oh, and they were very nice to sleep in, stretched out as this girl was. Within seconds, he was perched on the branch beneath her, her hair tickling his nose in the breeze.

With a smirk, he reached out and gave her pant's leg a good, strong jerk. Almost instantly, the legs were pulled up away from him, the force of their momentum carrying them up over the girl's head. Her hands pushed off the branch, and she did a fluid backwards somersault, twisting midair so that she faced him. She landed gracefully- the branch not even bothered enough to shake- just outside of his reach. She dropped into a fighter's stance, glaring down at him with a low, warning growl.

He almost dropped his jaw.

'_She's a feral?_'

Framed by thick lashes, the eyes she stared down at him with reflected the dying sunlight in their dark blue depths. The pupils, almost hidden in the darkness, were feline like his own, like a cat were looking down upon him. He could see her nose twitch just the tiniest bit, taking in his scent as he had taken in her own. When she brought her lips- full and pink- back in a snarl, he could see the sharp fang teeth as they sprouted down from her gums to touch her bottom lip.

Screw the hell out of being unsentimental- she was beautiful.

'_This is going to be interesting._'

She observed him for any sign of attack, and he moved back a few inches to let her know that he wasn't on the attack. Yet. Her growl slowly died in her throat, her hands coming down to hold her balance as she shifted her weight, bending her knees to crouch as he did. She placed one hand on her branch to steady her, studying him.

He studied her like a lion watched its prey, taking in every movement the girl made. He'd never seen a female feral cat before. He'd come across a few other species- a dog, lizard, and what looked like a snake feral- but never another cat. She was like the female version of himself, only with red hair.

His eyes fell to her hands, taking in the claws that tipped them- delicate and feline- so like his own and yet so unlike them. Her nails seemed fairly human retracted but for the little raised ridge running down each one- ending in sharp points just beyond her nail-bed. He didn't doubt they were as razor-sharp as his own were, but his claws had more weight to them, taking over the ends of his fingers when he drew them out.

Her fang-teeth were not as pronounced, but they looked like his own. Her eyes were reflecting the dying sunlight, the elongated pupils dilating to see. He wanted to examine her closer- much closer- but he didn't want to scare this rare mutant off.

She must have noticed his stare, and she drew her knees up to her chest. A very light blush coloured the pale skin across her cheekbones. Other than the blush, she showed no outward signs of discomfort. Apparently, she didn't mind so terribly that he studied her. In fact, she watched him right back, though her eyes didn't seem as intense as his were. She quietly took in his hands, then his hair- the hair on his jaw, then to the skin of his neck. She lingered at the skin of his chest where it showed from his leather shirt.

He smirked. She would be his.

* * *

To be continued . . .

* * *

Please review!

The Lady Mage


	2. Chapter 2

Welcome to Chapter 2 of the Of Ferity rewrite! Hope you enjoy! And please, review! Oh, and yeah, my German and French SUCKS. I need to study LOTS more, but like I said last chappie, I have a 3yr old to wrangle along with a full-time job so my time is kinda tied up pretty often! Bear with me, and if anyone would like to volunteer to help me rephrase some of it, I would openly welcome the help! LOL

Legalities: I do not own Victor, though I wish I did.

* * *

FERITY: (fehr-it-ee) - (noun) - 1. The state of being wild or untamed. 2. The state of being savage; Ferocity.

* * *

It was cold that night, the temperature lingering somewhere around thirty degrees. The snow had been falling through the dense treetops, dusting the pine needles and forest floor with a shimmery layer of soft, white fluff. A full moon was shining brightly, but if not for the few breaks in the treetops that allowed its beams to light the ground below it, one would hardly know it was there. The quiet covered the woods like the snow was beginning to blanket the firs, and all of Earth's creatures seemed to have taken to their dens to keep out of the cold.

All, but for two.

Two lone figures stalked through the trees, treading through the thin layer of snow in near silence. Both figures wore leather and fur clothing and boots, with fur capes that tied down the front to keep their upper bodies warm. The taller, larger of the two was in the lead, breaking off branches in their way, making his steps obvious to his smaller companion. Behind him, the smaller figure kept close, using his footsteps to help her keep his pace. Though they were not moving much faster than one would take a leisurely stroll, she was having some trouble keeping up, her companion having to stop to let her catch up.

The larger one stopped, suddenly, shaking the snow from his long, blonde mane. He lifted his nose to the air, taking in the scents around him, searching for a familiar one. The smaller one paused her step, freezing in place behind him. After a few silent moments, he turned to look at her over his shoulder. "Close." he grunted, resuming his step. "_Nicht weit jetzt._ (Not far now.)"

Following behind him, the figure was quiet, somber in her response. "_Nicht weit genug._ (Not far enough.)" He had seemed to ignore her, but she could hear the breath pause on his lips, could feel the slight pause in his step.

For hours they had walked on, following his sense of smell and direction, pausing now and then for the smaller figure to catch up. Dawn would break in another five or so hours, and they had finally found a place suitable for another short stop. They found a tree with low-hanging branches, and scooped the little bit of snow out from under it. Two large pieces of cowhide, one tied over the low limb, the other used as a floor, provided a small shelter for them to hunker down out of the wind.

"_Ich bin kalt._ (I'm cold.)" she murmured, pressing closer to him. Her back was to the tree trunk, and she lay on her side facing him.

"_Nicht bewegen._ (Don't move.)" he whispered, stetching out beside her. He pushed her closer to the tree, careful not to put too much pressure against her. She pulled at the leather ties to his cape, slipping it open and folding her way inside it. He felt her tuck her head beneath his chin, and threw his arm over her ribcage to keep her warm as well as safe.

"Victor . ." she whispered, bringing her arms out of her cape, wrapping them around his neck. She kissed the skin where his neck met his chest, then moved her lips to the curve of his jaw, kissing the stubble on his skin. He bent down, gently nipping her neck with his sharp teeth, and she shivered beside him. His arm over her ribs tightened, the hand cupping the small of her back, and he pressed his mouth to her's. She deepened his kiss, tasting him before moving her lips to his chin, nipping him back, teasing him.

As tempting as she was, he paused. It was too cold out tonight, and they were much too close to their destination for his sense of safety. He kissed the skin behind her ear, his hand moving up to the back of her neck. "_Wir konnen nicht hier bleiben. Wir mussen an umziehen._ (We cannot stay here. We need to move on.)" he said softly. He pulled her closer, his arms tight but not too tight around her, warming her body against his. "It isn't very far now."

She was weeping again then, silently, trembling beside him. He could smell the salt of her tears, feel the warm wetness where her cheek met his skin. Her arms tightened around his neck, and she buried her face against his leather shirt. For all his thoughts, his feelings, for her, he still was not used to the emotions that particular action could stir in him. A slow, sinking feeling in the pit of hit stomach as though every hitch in her throat- every sob from her soft lips- were slowly sucking his insides away. Why couldn't she just be mad at him again? He could deal with mad.

He growled, low in his throat, without meaning to. She jerked at the sound with a soft gasp. She tried to turn from him, but he held her tight, his hand on her neck moving to run through her hair. She was caught against him; she became still again. The soft hitching of her breath continued as she lay her face against his chest. "_Je suis . . je suis desole._ (I'm . . I'm sorry.)" she whispered, "_Je ne voux pas que vous me laussiez._ (I don't want you to leave me.)"

He wanted to growl again, but he held it in by force of will. It was upsetting to see her so anxious, so distressed. He knew she did not want him to leave, but there was no other choice. Sure, she could hold her own in any fight, could fish, hunt, and build shelter, but she wouldn't be safe if she went with him now, burdened as she was. She'd only slow him down, and then they'd both be caught.

"_Je sais. Il n'y a cucun autre choix._ (I know. There is no other choice.)" he said softly, letting the gravel drop from his voice.

She moved her head back, her dark eyes meeting his, searching them as if she didn't quite believe him. She had managed to hold in the last of her emotion, her breathing becoming even again, but her eyes still glittered with unshed tears. She studied his face, lingering on every detail she had long ago memorized. Her hands came back up around his neck. "_Je mais . ._ (I know.)" she murmured quietly. "_Mais il toujours maux._ (But it still hurts.)"

"_Me faire confiance._ (Trust me.)" he said, his voice just louder than a whisper. He brought his face back down to her's until their noses were almost touching. She closed the gap, pressing her lips against his, kissing him like she thought she might never see him again.

Returning her kiss, he brought his hand back to her neck, gently brushing his thumb over the two little scars behind her ear- the scars he had put there for her with his fangs. It was a mark she willed remain on her body- her feral wedding ring- marking her as his and his only. He turned his head, nipping the hypersensitive skin under his thumb. She let out a soft moan, a shiver running up her spine.

Before they could slip any deeper into each other, he pulled away. "_Nous devrions aller._ (We had better go.)" he whispered into her ear. "_Ou nous ne le ferons jamais._ (Or we will never make it.)" She nodded, watching him sit up onto his haunches.

With a sad smile, she raised her arm up to him, letting him pull her up to sit. It had only been perhaps a half hour, but the wind was dying down, the snow falling lighter. While she watched, he lifted their bags, slinging them both over his shoulder.

"_Il sera seulement pendant une courte periode._ (It will only be for a short time.)"

She only nodded, following him from their little shelter. The leathers were rolled back up, and the snow pushed back under the tree to cover their tracks. Then, they began to walk again, with her following close behind him.

* * *

The sound of the shrill buzzer piercing through the gentle silence of the library almost sent both women through the paneled ceiling above their heads. Between them, the two stacks of test papers were sent flying, scattering to the far corners of the room. As one, they turned their eyes to the grandfather clock on the far wall, then eyed the hundred or so sheets of white, partially ungraded papers on the floor with an expression of disapprobation. It would take at least an hour to resort, and then grade, the papers.

"Who could be here so late in the evening?" one woman questioned the other, taking to her feet as the buzzer sounded again. "It's half past midnight."

The other stood as well, her eyes taking on a far-away look. After a few seconds, they cleared, focusing seriously on her friend's face. "There are two people outside the gate."

* * *

They stood just out of the reach of the moonlight, carefully concealed in the shadows between the fir trees. She was pressed against his side, and his arm was holding her possessively in place while they waited. One of her arms was wrapped around behind his back, the other on his chest, her hand placed over his heart. He could smell how nervous she was, and he didn't like it one bit. If only it were a few months earlier- or a few months later than now.

His hand found its way between the ties of her fur cape, coming to rest on the little warm bundle between her cape and her stomach. The soft fur and flannel fabric that held it against her was almost completely still, but he could feel the soft breathing under his hand. Listening hard, he could hear it drawing breath. The tiny life laying there was much too young for such a long journey. He had to know that this was best- _she_ had to know that his was best.

Months before this, Eric had called him aside to explain to him what could, or rather should, be done if, for reasons out of their control, things had gone awry. '_And boy, had they gone fuckin' awry._' There was a school, he'd said, that he had long ago helped to establish, run by a man who would take her in. Here, she would be concealed and protected and he could go out on the lamb without worrying about them being after her skin, too. The big magnet had even written a letter for the professor here, and given it to him- just in case. Drop off the girl, the cub, and the letter, and be on his merry way. Easy-peasy.

'_I don't like this. Not one fuckin' bit . . ._'

What would he do if they wouldn't- couldn't- take her in? She couldn't keep up with him with their cub. Though they were impervious to the cold, the cub was not. It would never survive. Even should the algid weather not kill it, the people after him would. They would take pleasure in snuffing out the tiny spark of life- hell, just to do it. What was she to them but another in the epidemic? Just another disgusting abomination?

"_Me dire que vous reviendrez pour moi. Pour nous._ (Tell me you will come back for me. For us.)" Her whisper brought him back to the present, and he looked down at the top of her auburn head. "_Que ne vous ne nous lausserez pas ici pour toujours._ (That you won't leave us here forever.)"

"I will come back to get you." He kept his voice gruff. He pulled his hand from their cub. He could hear a door open and close on the other side of the wall. Voices and footsteps were coming down the gravel driveway beyond. "I won't leave you here forever." Before the voices were close enough for them to be seen, he pulled her to the other side of him where she would be safe.

"_Je t'aime._ (I love you.)" she whispered. He knew she didn't expect him to voice it back to her. He reserved those emotional confessions for more private occasions. He knew that she was secure with him- that she realised he whispered those words to her in his actions and treatment of her. She knew she belonged to him, and that he would protect her and their cub with his life.

'_Then why am I delivering her here?_'

The ornate iron gates were swinging open now, and the two stepped apart. He wished he had paused to take a last look at his cub, to re-imprint the little face into his memory, but quickly banished the thought, clearing his mind.

"I don't see anybody." a male voice said. He came into view- the one with the red visor. He wore wrinkled khaki slacks, and a leather jacket, one hand in his pocket, the other up to his temple beside his glasses. He covered a yawn with the back of his hand, "No car- no fresh tire marks."

Two women- the redheaded telekine and the white-haired weather witch- stepped out with him. The brown-skinned woman had donned crinkled black pants under her white trench coat, but the redhead was sporting pink, purple, and green striped fleece pajama bottoms that seemed to match the purple zip-up jacket covering her torso.

The three couldn't see them standing in the shadows, but Victor knew that any moment that damned telekine would feel them here, and he would have to somehow manage to convince them not to immediately attack him. The others had walked out onto the road past the gate, each one stifling yawns, trying to blink the sleep away. Just as he had predicted, Jean suddenly turned her head towards the shadows. She could not see him, but she knew he was somewhere in her line of sight. She hesitated for just a second too long, and Victor stepped in front of his companion to protect her.

"It's Sabretooth." Jean said, jerking her head towards them. Scott touched his hand to his visor, but Jean grabbed his arm before he could take aim. "No, wait, Scott!" Her other hand grabbed Ororo's shoulder, keeping her calm. "Wait." She turned expectantly towards Victor.

Taking his cue, the feral mutant stepped just into the beam of moonlight, hands at his sides to appear as 'unthreatening' as possible. When they did not attack him, he crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for them to make the first move. Though he hated it with a mad passion, he had to take a submissive role here for the sake of his companion and his cub. Shit, if it meant their safety, he'd crawl like a worm over hot coals, but he sure as hell didn't have to like it.

"What do you want?" Scott demanded, keeping his hand on his visor.

He wasn't sure what to say, so he said what first came to mind. "Sanctuary."

Scott and Ororo snorted in perfect, synchronized unison. Jean still watched the woods carefully.

_'Can she see them back there, too?'_

"Sanctuary?" Scott shook his head. "You are a wanted man, Sabretooth, and rightfully so. Why would you think we would ever help you?"

"You almost killed Logan _and_ Marie." Ororo spat. "And could have killed all those people at the Senator's meeting."

He shook his head, feeling his blonde mane fall over his shoulders, warming his ears. "Not for me." he said, his voice louder, forceful. He dared a glance back behind him at her. She was standing perfectly still, her soft face emotionless, her arms crossed under her cape. He turned back, looking Jean in the eye across the road. "For her." '_Please, for her?_'

Ororo and Scott looked puzzled. Scott even leaned over a bit, trying to see if he could detect anything behind the larger man, but he could make out nothing in the inky blackness.

Victor heard her step up behind him, into the light just enough to reveal her presence, but not her features. She stayed close, his side and shoulder overlapping her body. Victor gestured his head in her direction. "Her."

By now, Jean could tell that they weren't here for any conflict, and she put her hands back to her sides. She had tried to read the mind of the girl in the shadows, but the thoughts were vastly jumbled and in a language she couldn't understand- when the thoughts were even slow enough to be read. "Who is she?"

"Her name's Zosia." answered Victor.

"Where did she come from? Does she work for Magneto, too?"

"Yes." The feral man pulled Eric's letter from his back pocket, and held it out to the three. None of them came the dozen or so steps closer to take it. A few seconds later, he felt it snatched away by an invisible hand. It floated its way to Jean, where she read the words written on the envelope, but didn't open it. "That is for Xavier. Eric wrote it before we came to New York. He told me that your professor would help her."

Zosia stepped closer to Victor, her side and stomach touching the left side of his back. She kept her arms crossed, resisting the urge to grab onto Victor's arm for comfort, for support. Her eyes watched the three mutants across the drive, examining their every move.

"Where was she in New York? At the statue?" Ororo asked. Though Jean seemed relaxed beside her, she still wasn't so sure.

"I didn't go." Zosia answered for herself. "I didn't fight."

Scott finally put his hand down from his glasses. "Well, why not? Do you work for Magneto or not?"

"I live within the Brotherhood, yes." she answered, her accent thickening with her growing anxiety, giving her voice a charming ring. "But I chose not to fight, and they won't force me to." She glanced up at Victor, then turned her eyes back to Jean and Ororo, lingering on the windrider over the redhead.

"Why do you need to stay here?" Scott asked, his voice still suspicious.

"She's got nowhere to go." Victor answered for her. "She can't keep up with me, and I don't have time to wait for her. She's got nowhere else to go after that."

"So you just want us to take in a potentially dangerous mutant- as a favor to you- into a school full of mutant children, and let her stay here until you up and take fancy to come for her?" asked the Cyclops.

"Potentially dangerous-?" Victor returned, his voice a growl. "Its not a fuckin' _favor_ from you ta me, it's one from Xavier ta Lehnsherr." He turned his attention to the telekine. "She's not _that_ vicious."

"I'm not here to harm anyone." Zosia added quietly, just loud enough for them to hear. "I've no interest in harming innocent mutant children."

The three mutants across the road whispered amongst themselves for a few minutes, glancing over at the two every few seconds.

'_God-fucking-damnit, telekine!_' His scowl deepened as he tried to think of anything but the cub- she wasn't going to hear about the cub from him!

Finally, Scott was the one to step forward. "She can stay here for now." He crossed his arms again. "But only so long as she is civil. She steps out of line, she's out in the snow."

Victor heard Zoe let out a little held breath, her hand, hidden, clutching his cape over his spine. He looked down to her, and met her eyes. He could see the forlorn expression in her eyes, the tears ready to fall again, and he could smell her nervousness. She'd be at their mercy, and he felt like he was throwing a kitten into a pit of starving wolves. "_Il sera bien._ (It will be alright.)" he said softly.

If Magneto were wrong about this- if they hurt her- if the mutant magnet were still alive, he was going to _wish_ he were dead when Victor made him pay for that look in her eyes.

She blinked the tears away. "_Je te fais confiance, mon Lion_. (I trust you, my Lion.)" she whispered, her hand coming from his back to touch his arm. "_Je t'aime._ (I love you.)"

He glanced at the three across the road out of the corner of his eyes. Jean was saying something to the other two- they were momentarily distracted. He looked back down to Zosia, bringing one hand up to cup her jaw. He ran the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip. "_Je t'aime aussi, Katze._ (I love you too, Cat.)" he whispered. She broke into a smile, nodding while turning her lips against his palm before he pulled it away. "_Je serai de retour quand il fait chaud- quand il est sur pour toi tous les deux._ (I will be back when it is warm- when it is safe for you both.)"

She nodded once more. "_J'attendrai. Nous attendrons._ (I'll be waiting. We will be waiting.)" He grunted softly, letting her know he heard her and was pleased. When she turned back towards the three across the road, they were ready for her.

Jean smiled at her. "Come on, Zosia. It's cold out here."

She took her bag from Victor before taking the eight steps across the road, following the three to the gates. When Scott pushed the button to shut them, she turned and watched through them as Victor stepped back into the woods, listening to the crunch of snow as the feral walked away.

* * *

To Be Continued . . .

* * *

So, what do you think? Please, share your thoughts in a review. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!

The Lady Mage


	3. Chapter 3

Greeting from The Lady Mage! Read and enjoy!

Legalities: I do not own Victor . . . yeah, yeah, rub it in why don'tcha? . . . Jerks . . .

* * *

FERITY: (fehr-it-ee) - (noun) - 1. The state of being wild or untamed. 2. The state of being savage; Ferocity.

* * *

**RECAP:**

_She nodded once more. "_J'attendrai. Nous attendrons._ (I'll be waiting. We will be waiting.)" He grunted softly, letting her know he heard her and was pleased. When she turned back towards the three across the road, they were ready for her._

_Jean smiled at her. "Come on, Zosia. It's cold out here."_

_She took her bag from Victor before taking the eight steps across the road, following the three to the gates. When Scott pushed the button to shut them, she turned and watched through them as Victor stepped back into the woods, listening to the crunch of snow as the blonde feral walked away._

* * *

They lead her up the gravel driveway to the mansion's large garage, and through it into the school. "We'll go down to the medbay." Jean said to her, pulling her jacket off and tossing it on the coatrack in the mudroom. Ororo and Scott followed suit. "You can get cleaned up down there without us waking up the rest of the school."

"I'll go and wake the professor." said Scott. "You'll be okay?" he looked pointedly at Jean. At her nod, he headed off down the hallway to the left.

Zosia followed the two women down the hall to the right, listening to them introduce themselves- the redhead as Dr. Jean Grey, the other as Ororo Monroe or Storm. They both sounded at ease as they spoke, their tone of voice guarded but accepting. At the far end of the hall, just beyond the grand staircase, Jean touched the wall, and a panel slid open, revealing a round elevator with ice-blue interior. Downstairs, they turned into a large room with three hospital examination tables in the center. There were five metal chairs lining the far wall, along with a small desk, chair, and computer console.

Inside the room, Jean walked to a little filing cabinet beside the desk, and pulled out a clipboard, pen, and slip of paper. Ororo went to take a seat on one of the chairs, crossing her legs. Zosia stood at the far end of the chairs, waiting, unsure what they expected of her or what to do.

"You can take a shower-" Jean walked to a door on the far wall, pulling it open to reveal a little bathroom. "-in here. I bet you're just dying to wash up." She opened a little linen closet just inside the door, pulling out a towel and washcloth, setting them on the counter by the sink.

The girl nodded, relaxing somewhat. "That would be lovely." Zosia said quietly, settling her pack on the chair next to her, but making no move to sit yet. She wasn't just terribly certain she could trust these two women, even though they hadn't shown any sign of aggression yet; she wasn't easily fooled.

"We'll go ahead and fill in your file before you get cleaned up, okay? Where are you from?" Ororo asked, taking the clipboard and pen from Jean. She wrote a few things on the chart there, then looked up to Zosia, expectantly, when she received no answer.

Zosia had pulled back her hood, letting her auburn hair tumble in a mass of loose curls down her back. She raked a delicately clawed hand through the wild strands in a vain attempt to tame them.

Jean stood next to Ororo's chair, watching.

The girl's skin was pale, but not deathly so, with just a light dusting of freckles across her nose, contrastingly prettily with her rich, red hair. Her eyelashes were long and dark, framing eyes so dark blue that they appeared black. Only the overhead lights reflecting in them revealed their true colour. Pretty child's-pout lips and high cheekbones only added to her charm, making her look to be about sixteen years old- possibly younger. And yet, something in her eyes made her seem much older.

"I do not know." Zosia finally said, answering the windrider's question as she undid the ties holding her cape closed around her torso.

"You don't know?" Ororo looked at her quizzically. "Did you have a bad family? Are you a runaway?"

Zosia paused, unknotting the last tie. "I meant what I said; I don't know." she repeated. "I don't think I have a family outside of the Brotherhood."

The windrider looked unconvinced. "Alright. Then where were you before the Brotherhood came along?"

"I don't know."

Scowling slightly, Ororo looked up to Jean, then over to Zosia. "How old are you?"

"I don't know." She glanced at the two. "When the professor comes down, and he reads the letter, I will tell you what I know." The mutant girl pulled her cape away, laying it over her satchel on the chair. Beneath it, she wore jeans tucked into her knee-high, homemade leather boots, and a brown hoodie several sizes too large.

A strip of black flannel was fastened over the girl's neck and one shoulder, with a strip of gray fur around it. She gently shifted it to a more comfortable place against her neck, and the movement in the fabric startled the two watching women. Curiosity prompted them to come a little closer to see just what had moved. Jean stepped back in surprise as a tiny fist reached out from the warm furs. The little claw-tipped fingers and soft mewling sounds told them that it was definitely a baby, and most likely it's mother was the barely tame feral standing before them.

"Oh my." Ororo murmured, stepping closer still, head down as she looked at the bundle bunched against its mother's chest. She looked up into Zoe's eyes before reaching out to pull aside the strip of fur so she could see the baby's face.

"How old is the baby?" Jean asked, reaching out to touch the sling. Zoe pulled back, arms crossed possessively over the baby, growling softly. "Is it your's?"

The feral hardly paid the telekine's words any mind, lifting the bundle from the sling, laying the baby on her shoulder so she could pull the sling off. It was placed on top of the cape and bag, before Zosia sat in the chair next to it. She held her in the crook of her arm, gently pulling away the white blanket so the cub could breathe better. Exposed to the light and cooler air in the room, the babe let out a tired cry as it woke up. "She is mine." Zosia said softly, but with a slight edge to her voice. "She was a week old yesterday."

"A week, hmm?" The telekine wrote out her notes. "Well, no wonder you didn't go with the others to the Statue of Liberty."

Zosia glared at Jean for a few seconds, opening her mouth to say something else, but the infant let out another whimper, taking her attention from defending her actions to defending her cub. She lifted the baby out of the white blanket, leaning back in the chair and laying her cub on her chest, tucking baby's head beneath her chin.

"May I see?" Jean asked the girl, watching the pair curiously.

The feral scented her suspicion. She glared again for a moment, processing the clueless reaction of the redhead. Finally, she gave a curt nod. "_Sur._ (Sure.)" Zosia leaned forward, easing her daughter down into her arms. The baby was a little small for a week old, but not scrawny, with her mother's skintone. A thick, wavy shock of hair, the same rich auburn as her mother's, covered her head. Her little eyes were closed, her lashes long and thick, curling onto her cheeks. Her lips were a cherub's pout, but her little chin had a dimple in it where Zosia's did not. She'd been dressed in a pale pink long-sleeved onesie, with little white fleece pants, and white socks to cover her feet, and the whole outfit seemed to swallow her.

"Aww." Jean smiled. "What's her name?"

"Sari." Zosia answered. "Sari Creed." She still watched the telekine, pulling Sari back to the crook of her arm. The movement caused the baby to stir, one little arm twitching. Instead of crying out, she blinked open her dark eyes. Like her mother, there was hardly any visible white, but unlike Zosia, Sari's eyes were dark, dark brown.

"Oh, look at those eyes." commented Storm. "Is she a mutant, too?"

Zosia nodded. She felt a little safer now, not fearing that either woman would try to hurt her or little Sari- '_Perhaps the telekine is just totally clueless?_'- and gave the windrider a small smile. She scooted over into the chair next to Storm, letting the woman have a closer look. "She is feral." Zosia said, her voice still soft, putting Sari's little hand on the back of her own so that they could see the resemblance. "Like her father and I."

"Oh, claws!" Storm said, reaching out, running her finger down the sharp tip of Zoe's thumbclaw. Though they were the same pink and white as anyone else's, each nail had a raised ridge running down from the cuticle, growing past the nail-bed into small, but razor-sharp, claws. Sari's hand was the same, but her claws had been filed down dull to keep her from scratching herself.

Sari's eyes fluttered open and closed again, and the new position under the light lit her eyes, displaying for a few seconds the feline pupils hidden in the dark colour. The lights were irritating, and she let everyone know as she scrunched her little face, whimpering loudly once, then releasing another irritated cry.

"Much too early to wake up, _mon Amour_." Zosia crooned to her, moving Sari back onto her chest. "_Du arme Babykatze . ._ (You poor baby cat.)" she murmured in German, then switched back to her native tongue. "_Est-il trop lumineux dedans ici pour toi?_ (Is it too bright in here for you?)" Mother's voice seemed to soothe the baby, and she settled down against her, too tired to put up much more fuss.

"Are you still going to get cleaned up?" Jean asked, redirecting her attention from child to mother. The young feral nodded. "Would you like us to watch Sari for you while you bathe?"

The feral snorted, shaking her head no. Letting them see her daughter was one thing, but touching her was another. She'd never let anyone other than Victor or her siblings hold Sari, and she'd never been out of the same room as her. She knew she was overprotective, but it was instinctual for her to be so- even Victor had confirmed it, and let her do what she felt was best for the cub. Not that she expected him to be terribly active in the babycare aspect of fatherhood, but he had held their cub- gently, as though she were made of porcelain. Zosia shook her head once, her eyes still watching Jean skeptically. "I can manage."

"Okay." Jean felt the pang of emotion at the mention of separating mother and child; she felt it would be better to simply drop it.

Zosia make a little bed on the chair beside her, laying the baby on her folded cape. This time, the baby remained asleep, her little hands clutching into the fabric of her blanket. "Thank you, though, for the offer." said the girl to be polite, reaching down to begin unlacing her boots. She kicked them off, then pulled off her socks and tucked them down inside. The claws on her hands were mirrored on her feet, but were not as long, dulled off to accomodate shoes. She stood up, putting her boots down next to her other things, then pulled off the brown hoodie, leaving her in dark jeans and a dark blue camisole top.

"What did you do to your hip?" Jean asked, sitting next to Ororo to see the sleeping infant better. She playfully ignored the poke in the ribs from the weather witch.

"Hmm?" Zoe turned to the two of them, her hand reflexively coming up to the ball-chain necklace around her neck.

"I'm sorry- I thought ferals had healing abilities." Jean said, pointing to the girl's hip.

Zosia looked at her, confused, before she pulled her cami up on the left side, revealing a set of little stars branded onto her skin, running up her side from the waist of her lowrise jeans. Two stars were visible, each perfectly healed into crisp thin lines a shade lighter than her skintone. They were two inches tall, and two inches apart, the top one level with her navel. "My stars?" she asked. "I make them stay."

"Did you do those yourself?" Jean asked, seeing that they were a design, and not a battle wound.

"Mystique did them for me." Zosia answered, pushing the waist of her pants down under her hip, revealing a third star. "I've got three- one for every year I've been awake."

"Awake?" Ororo asked.

Nodding, the feral pulled her jeans back up. "I will explain it when the _professeur_ comes down."

"How do you make them stay?"

"I'm not sure, really. I suppose force of will. If you will excuse me, I'm going to clean up now." She leaned down to her bag, pulling a wad of clothing from it to change into when she got out of the shower. She also grabbed a diaper and white onesie, adding it to her clothing. Tucking the fabric under one arm, she carefully lifted Sari up to her shoulder, then quietly excused herself into the bathroom to clean up.

* * *

Well, what did you think? Good? Bad? Tell me in a review!

The Lady Mage


	4. Chapter 4

Greetings from The Lady Mage! Read, enjoy, review!

Legalities: ***writing on chalkboard*** I do not own Sabretooth. I do not own Sabretooth. I do not own Sabretooth. I do not own . . .

* * *

FERITY: (fehr-it-ee) - (noun) - 1. The state of being wild, or untamed. 2. The state of being savage; Ferocity.

* * *

Once the two women heard the shower start up, and the sound of the shower door clicking closed, Ororo and Jean shared an openly astonished look. Like the old friends they were, the two women hopped together onto an exam table. Jean filled out the medical charts on the clipboard, writing off the things that were obvious- hair, skin, eye colour, and so on. Ororo sat watching as they spoke.

"My word, Jean." Ororo said, turning her head to the closed bathroom door.

"I know." murmured the telekine. "We don't get this every day."

"That's a good thing." The windrider said with an amused smirk, looking up from the med chart. "Or we'd be overrun."

Jean nodded once, trying to laugh while letting out a yawn. "I am so tired."

Ororo yawned herself, then lightly smacked Jean's shoulder. "Quit that- nasty habit." She feigned irritation when Jean chuckled, then joined her. "I'm sleeping in in the morning after this."

"Me, too. Scott can deal with the students' weekend activities." said Jean.

The fair-haired woman snickered. "He'll appreciate that one, I bet." She pointed to a blank box on the chart. "How old do you think she is, Jean?"

"Gosh, maybe seventeen?" returned Jean.

"Seventeen." The windrider paused, watching Jean tap her pen on the clipboard. "And already with a baby to care for."

"It's not unheard of." commented the redhead with a shrug. "It happens every day- another teenage girl winds up pregnant with nowhere to go. This one just happened to belong to the Brotherhood, too. She acts strange, doesn't she."

"A little, yes. I assumed it was just nerves."

The clipboard was set beside them on the table, filled as far as it could be without further examination of the new girl. Ororo raised her arms up over her head, clasping them behind her head to pop her shoulders. "Who do you think the father is?" she asked absently.

Jean gave her a serious expression. "Sabretooth."

"Sabretooth? Really?"

Nodding, Jean met her friend's eyes. "Oh, yeah. I couldn't read her mind so well- her thoughts were so jumbled- but Sabretooth was like an open book- like he was _trying_ to open up to me."

"Scary."

"It's his- that's why he brought them here: because they are his, and he wants to protect them. He can't do anything for her while he is running from the police, so Magneto told him to bring her here."

The windrider visibly shuddered. "I can't imagine."

"You probably don't want to."

"Nope. Not really."

Behind them, the medbay door slid open, and Charles Xavier rolled into the room. He was still in his green plaid pajama bottoms, with a matching button-up top, and dark blue house slippers. Scott came in behind him, and went to lean against the exam table with Jean and Ororo. Charles rolled his chair up to them, smiling at his oldest students. Without an ounce of sleep in his voice, he spoke: "So, I hear we may have a new student." He looked from Jean to Ororo. "An interesting situation, as Scott has informed me. May I see the letter they brought?"

Jean nodded, pulling the envelope from her back pocket. The three students-turned-teachers watched as the professor turned it over in his hands. He read the scrolling handwriting on the back, spelling out his name. When he broke the wax seal, opening the envelope, he pulled out a single page letter with a polaroid picture folded into it. The picture was of a redheaded girl, fast asleep on a leather couch, her head resting on none other than Sabretooth's shoulder. Her body was cuddled up against his side, and he had one arm thrown over her, holding her in place. The blonde feral's attention was on something out of the shot, and apparently didn't know he was being photographed.

'_Intriguing_.'

Charles tucked the picture back in the envelope, concentrating on the letter. He unfolded the page, recognizing with a grin, the familiar handwriting. There was no doubt in his mind that this was written by his old friend- he would recognize his neat script anywhere. It took him a moment to read it over, not having read Hebrew in quite a few years.

"What does it say, professor?" Ororo asked.

"It is very interesting." Xavier said in answer, looking back up to them. "Eric Lehnsherr wrote this especially for her- a full two months before today. Zosia, this girl, it says, is a sister in his Brotherhood, and her place in it is high. Eric, himself, wants me to take her in while he is imprisoned, to make sure that she is safe." He put the envelope in his shirt pocket. "She must be very special to him."

"So, what do you think?" asked Scott.

"Well, assuming the girl poses no security or safety risk, I see no reason why I should want to turn her out into the snow." answered the professor.

"She hasn't seemed _too_ aggressive." said Jean, pursing her lips.

"Not really- just a bit . . guarded." Ororo agreed.

"So we're just letting her stay?" asked Scott.

Jean perked up with a little smile. "You mean: we're just letting _them_ stay." she corrected.

"Them? Huh?"

As if on cue, the bathroom door opened, and the girl stepped out. Her hair was even curlier now that it was wet, hanging down to her elbows, dampening the back of her clothes. She was barefoot, wearing a pair of lowrise black track pants, and a pale pink a-shirt. She had the a-shirt shifted on one side, Sari against the skin of her breast. The cub, clean and dry, was diapered and in the white onesie her mother had picked for her.

The feral watched Scott for a few seconds, not sure if she should give him the warmest of greetings. Instinct told her no, so she turned her eyes to the professor, offering a polite smile to him as she crossed the room to take a seat back beside her leather bag. Charles returned her smile genuinely, turning his chair to face her.

The professor held out a hand to her. "Good morning. You must be Zosia." She nodded, reaching out and letting him shake her hand, then carefully examine the claws that tipped her fingers. "Pleasure to meet you."

"_Bonjour._ Please, call me Zoe. You are the _professeur_?" she asked.

Charles nodded, giving her hand back. "I am Professor Charles Xavier." He turned his attention to the nursing baby. "And this is . . ?"

"We've named her Sari." the girl said softly, smoothing the baby's hair with her free hand.

"Where the heck did she hide _that_?" Scott asked. Jean thumped his thigh with the back of her hand, shushing him.

"Sari- that's a lovely name." Charles said, smiling again. "How old is she?"

"One week yesterday." answered the girl.

Pulling the envelope back from his pocket, he took the picture from it, showing it to the girl. She took it from his hands, bringing her right knee up to rest her foot on the chair edge, examining the picture with a small, secretive smile. Charles tucked the envelope away again, leaving the picture with her. "Zosia, is he Sari's father?"

She nodded, looking back up to him. "Yes, Victor is her father."

"Vict- you mean _Sabretooth_?" Scott sputtered, his voice loud, surprised, echoing in the room.

Sari released her hold, startled, showing her fright with a wail. Zosia put the picture on her bag beside her, and tightened her arms around the baby, rubbing her back until she was soothed enough to resume her nursing. Content and secure against her mother's skin, Sari's little hand curled back on her mother's breast. Her mother turned an irritated, angry glare on the younger man sitting between the telekine and windrider. She found the expression too difficult to maintain while trying to softly purr to keep Sari calm. With a soft sigh, she turned her eyes back to her daughter.

"Scott . . " Xavier gave the man a chastising expression, telling him without words to calm down. When the man nodded, the professor turned back to the girl. "I read the letter that Magneto wrote for you. He has a very high opinion of you." The girl lowered her eyes demurely, her cheeks gaining the barest hint of pink. The professor gestured to Sari. "But he made no mention of this little one."

"We didn't want to reveal her until we had to." Zoe explained. "In case you had decided to attack us before listening- that way, you wouldn't have known to target her. That is likely the reason why Eric said nothing about her- in case perhaps the telekine could read Hebrew."

"I see." Charles nodded.

"Eric Lehnsherr has always been so kind to me." Zoe said with a soft smile. "He treats me like a daughter, I suppose."

"_Magneto?_" Scott looked disturbed, shaking his head, but said no more.

"Tell me, Zoe, how is it that you came to be like his daughter?" the professor asked. "How did you end up joining the Brotherhood?"

The happy expression left the girl like a shroud had been drawn across her eyes; she turned them down to glare at the floor again. She looked as though she didn't wish to tell the story. Her eyes were still darkened when she looked back up to meet his. Xavier reached out to her, giving her knee a fatherly pat. "It's is all right, Zoe." he said, his tone kind. "You won't be judged."

"I do not fear your judgement." Zoe said quietly with a snort. Her free hand went up to grip the ball-chain necklace around her neck, absently rubbing its charms together.

"Okay then." he returned, amused. "How did you meet Eric Lehnsher? How did you find him?"

"I didn't find him, _mon professeur_." She almost smiled at him, but it looked more like a grimace as it flashed across her face. "Quite the other way around, actually. I was the one who was found."

"Were you a runaway?" Ororo asked again.

The feral shook her head. "_Non_." She glanced up at the woman. "I don't know. I just woke up- alone- out in the middle of nowhere, somewhere up in Canada." Her eyes went back to Sari's little face. "I was alone for three or four months- nothing but the clothes on my back, blind instinct, and my tag."

"Tag?"

Jean looked inquisitive. The feral could smell it coming off of her. Zosia nodded, opening her free hand. In her palm, hanging on the chain, were two metal tags, three charms, and a gold ring. She slipped the chain over her head, then held it out to the professor. He took them, turning them over in his hands to examine them. The three teachers had hopped down, looking over his shoulder.

One tag was badly scratched, but the name _'SABRETOOTH' _could still clearly be read on one side. The other side was just as marred with_ 'VICTOR- 458 25 242' _nearly unreadable on the back. The other tag was in better condition, with the name _'PANTHERA' _etched on one side, and _'ZOSIA- 997 11 010' _on the other. The ring on the chain was a simple white gold band with a little diamond set into it. Also hanging from the chain was a little green frog prince charm, about a half inch tall, along with a blue cat's eye marble and a little metal Knight chess piece.

"Logan has a tag like that." Jean said, looking at the girl's number. "Does that mean-"

"It could mean any number of things." Zoe cut her off. "Victor told me I must have been in the Weapon X program like he had been, but probably enjoyed it much less. I was more experiment than he." She met the _professeur's_ eyes. "Victor said that there had been a handful of female ferals involved, but I was the only surviving one he'd ever seen- and the only feline he's come across."

"Sabretooth gave you his tag?" Jean asked, looking back up to the girl.

"He did." Zoe confirmed. She held Sari's little hand in her own, lovingly running her thumb over the tiny fingers. "A long time ago. He wore my own for a while, too, but gave it back when he gave me that ring."

"I've seen one other tag such as these." Xavier said. "He was also in Weapon X."

Zoe glanced up at him, her eyes bottomless pools of black. She looked like a giant cat watching someone run a string across the floor, her eyes almost glowing. "The Wolverine." she half-hissed.

The professor looked mildly surprised. "Yes. You have seen him? Do you know him?"

"Victor stole his tag in Canada. Knows him somehow." said the feral. "I didn't ask him about it. We do _not_ speak of it." Her tone brooked little argument, and though she could sense that they had several more questions for her, she wasn't in the mind to answer them. She put Sari's hand down, thinking. "How long has he been awake?"

The professor handed the tags back to her, watching her slip the chain over her head, pulling the loose hair from it. "Awake?" Xavier murmured, then realized what she meant. "Oh, for fifteen years."

"I see. I've only been awake for three years- almost four." She glanced up at Ororo with a little smile. "So when I told you I didn't know how old I really am, I meant it. I could be twenty, thirty- or one hundred thirty."

"Then what, Zoe?" Charles prompted. "After you woke up in the woods, then what?"

When she looked up again, the darkness was gone from her eyes, the predatory, calculating look missing. "I was alone, until Victor found me." she answered. Her voice was soft, as was her tone. "He had come across my scent by chance while out hunting, and he tracked me down to the tree I had been living in." She cracked a small smile. "He snuck up on me- startled me. He thought that perhaps I was a lost human. When he saw I was a cat, he started to try to talk to me- wanting to know who I was, where I was from." She shook her head, amused. "And I couldn't understand a word he was saying."

"He spoke another language?" asked Scott, one eyebrow raised.

The feral nodded. "He spoke to me in English, and then in German, but I spoke French. Save for a word here and there, there are not many similarities between the three. It was a difficult guessing game."

"Then how did you know what he wanted?"

* * *

_. . . Not understanding, she cocked her head to the side, then held one hand out flat. She made the other hand look as though she held a pencil, and was writing on her hand. "_Ecrire?_ (Write?)"_

_He copied the motion, using one claw to carve a V on the branch in front of him. "Draw?"_

_She nodded, hopping down one branch. She looked up to see if he would follow, then dropped down another few branches. When he moved to climb after her, she dropped to the ground, bending over to pick up a stick from the firewood pile. She used her foot to scoot leaves away from the earth beneath them._

_"_Ecrire._ (Write.)" she said again, crouching down and writing her name in the dirt._

_'_Z-O-S-I-A_' She wrote in neat, stylized letters, with a little star to dot her '_I_'._

_Victor understood, crouching on the other side of the patch of dirt she'd cleared. He spelled out his name, his letters bold, jagged, and she smiled, leaning forward and dotting his '_I_' with a star like her own . . ._

* * *

"Two days later, he came back with Mystique to find me."

"Why Mystique?" The telekine asked, finishing up the medical chart. She glanced over the top of the clipboard at the girl curled up in the chair, fingering her tags around her neck.

"Because she can speak at least a dozen different languages. He brought her to translate for us." Zosia answered, her voice absent as she finally managed to get Sari to sleep. "She asked me if I had anybody, and if I would like to go home with them. They took me in."

"Just like that?" Scott still looked disturbed, trying not to look at the feral as she fixed her a-shirt back. '_Has she no shame?_'

"Just like that, really." confirmed the feral with a non-commital shrug.

Xavier took in the information, quietly listening to a few stray thoughts from the girl's mind. Her head read like Sabretooth's had that evening in New York in front of the train station. While more than half of the thoughts swimming through were in word-like form, they were all fragmented with the basal feralistic emotion thoughts. Where he would get a piece of a thought as she spoke, he would get the emotion she put into it overriding the marquee. It was like they didn't think about their words, but anyone who listened to her would know that couldn't be the case. When the girl offered him another small smile, laying the slumbering cub across her lap, he came out of his thoughts.

"So you have been with Eric for almost four years then." he stated. "What about the others? What is your place in the Brotherhood?"

"At first, _mon professeur_," She began, her eyes on Sari. "It was only as a curiosity. I was just another sister to be brought to the cause. Eric took special interest in me after I picked up German in a handful of days. When I picked up English as fast, he decided to make me his little pet project. He taught me everything he could. I learn quickly, I suppose." She shrugged again, unconcerned. "Mystique- she basically adopted me as a little sister- even though I am probably decades older than she is. And Warts was just my goofball brother. There are others out there that are loyal to Eric, but this was my family- the ones I lived with."

"What about Sabretooth then?" asked Ororo. "Did he just keep you for himself from the get-go?"

The girl snorted, smirking. "Hardly. We held out for almost a year, but it's quite obvious that didn't last." She rolled her eyes, fluttering her eyelids, "Patience is not exactly a defining trait of _mon amant_." (my lover.)

"And what about Ellis Island? Where were you there?" Xavier asked.

"At home, with the baby." she answered. "I didn't know exactly what was going on. Since I was pregnant, he left me to my own devices while they planned. For all intents and purposes, I was out of the loop. They felt it was better that way if things went- well, I suppose the way they went." '_Thanks for that, by the way._'

"And your purpose for being here?"

"We have nowhere else to go, Sari and I. There is no other place for us. We could not go with Victor to run from the humans. If they were to catch me- if they got to Sari- who knows what they would do to her?" She gently shook her head. "I am not out for harm- I do not wish to make trouble. I only want a safe place to wait until someone comes for me." She glanced down at her daughter. "I love Victor- the man, and the beast. I chose him, and doing so, chose this part of our lifestyle . . . but that was before Sari was born. Victor and I, we won't endanger our cub- _I_ won't."

Charles watched the girl silently for a few moments, trying to read her for any signs of deceit. He only saw a little candle of hope, burning small, but bright. She was genuine, and she was scared to death that he would throw them out. Surely if it were some sort of attempted trick, she'd not fear her release, so finally, he smiled at her, patting her knee again.

"Alright, Zosia." he said, his tone paternal. "I think we can set aside a place for you. You and Sari will be safe here."

* * *

To Be Continued . . .

* * *

Well? What do you think? Good? Bad? Next chappie gets interesting!

The Lady Mage


	5. Chapter 5

Greetings from The Lady Mage! Read, enjoy, review!

Legalities: I promise you, on my word as a Mage, I did not kidnap that mutant . . . he came willingly . . enough . . sorta . . ***glances down at bloody shirt*** . . I'm gonna go now . . yeah . . . ***runs***

* * *

FERITY: (fehr-it-ee) - (noun) - 1. The state of being wild, or untamed. 2. The state of being savage; Ferocity.

* * *

The fire was burning low under the leather canopy he'd strung up over his campfire- just high enough that it wouldn't burn, but low enough it gave off a pleasant smell. With the canopy in place, nothing overhead would directly see the flames, and with the way it was snowing all of a sudden, he didn't think the smoke would be the first thing on anyone's mind. It had taken him a good two hours after he'd watched her walk inside that damned gate before he could make himself leave. Damned if he wasn't worried- hell, he was maybe even a little scared- that just because they were his, the X-Geeks would go all righteous on him.

'_No, no, we can't possibly harbor the innocent wife and child of that vicious, nasty Sabretooth . . what would the neighbors think?_'

He had waited there, sitting in a fucking cold tree, watching, wondering if they would see him in her eyes and throw her back into the snow. Then an enraging thought struck him: Would they throw her out, but then try to keep Sari? Try to separate cub from mother? Sari was totally innocent- she was only a week old. '_Has it been a week already?_' Would they try to steal her off somewhere and raise her as their own? As an X-Man?

A sharp, hot feeling of rage fell over him, and he could feel the change coming over him- the brown of his eyes fading to black, the itch as his hair stood on end, pressure from his incisors lengthening, the claws begging release- begging for blood.

'_Over my dead, rotting corpse!_'

He'd kill them all- nice and slow- for even thinking they could take **HIS** cub away from him- away from **HIS** Zee. He'd string them all up like puppets- keep a roll of duct tape around RedEye's head, throw that white-haired frail into an interior room with no windows, no light. The only one he'd kill quick would be that damn telekine- but he'd make it oh, so painful for her to die. She'd not have the time or presence of mind to use her teke on him before it would be too little, too late. RedEye would be getting a radical sex-change operation, and he'd find plenty to do to torture that windrider before he slowly gutted her.

Without Zee here with him, it took a good minute or two to push back the rage and keep himself from destroying the gate, then barging up into that front door. If she'd been sitting here beside him, all she'd have to do was put her hand on his arm, just look into his eyes with her midnight-blues, and he would almost instantly calm down. After a few tense minutes, he'd calmed enough to step back and re-assess the situation. He realized with a proud smirk that with the way his _Katze_ had been acting, she'd be more than capable of ripping their throats out before they could even so much as breathe on the cub's curly hair.

God damn, but she was protective. A dark laugh escaped him just thinking about it. Zee had growled at ol' Bluebutt the day before they left to grab that toxic runt from the train station. The shapeshifter had been in their room, going on with that inane frail nonsense her and Zoe were always chattering on about. He'd just stepped out of the shower when he heard the cub whimper before Zoe growled- deep and threatening. The sound had the same effect on his ass as if someone had thrown a bucket of ice water over his head. By the time he'd knocked down the bathroom door, Zoe'd had her arms around Mystique's middle, apologizing up one side and down the other. All the metamorph had done was try to pick Sari up to bring to Zee, and the feral had nearly attacked her for it!

After no sign of Zee or Sari, and no sign of anything being wrong within the walls of that mansion, he'd come down from his lookout and set out to find a place to sleep all day. On his way, he had pulled out the little cell phone in his pack, and turned it on before slipping it in his pocket. Just in case.

He'd used her flint stones to start a little fire under his canopy next to his chosen sleepin' tree. He'd have to wait until daybreak to truly rest, and god-damned it if he wasn't suddenly so damn cold. Zee would be under his furs by now, her body and Sari's pressed against his side and chest, and they would keep him as warm as he kept them. He was no frail, but he kinda liked the feeling of that little cub laying over his heart. And Zee, glued to his side, smelling like the wild, like wood, and earth, and rain- _oh, how she always smelled like rain_.

With a growl at himself, he checked the cell phone again. No missed calls, no messages, no texts. Damn it.

'_When did I become such a worrisome fuckin' puss? Fucking frail bullshit . . . ' _He growled again, rolling his eyes at himself. _'Fuck. The day I met Zee- that's fuckin' when._'

Damned if that sexy feral redhead hadn't managed to weasel her way into the deepest part of his little, black heart. But he had to smirk, knowing whole-heartedly that he totally owned her's. That seductive cat was HIS- body, mind, heart, and soul. Whatever fucking Creator was out there _better-fucking-help_ anyone who tried to hurt her or his cub.

The last hours of night had passed quickly enough, and he put out his puny campfire before he scaling his tree. He put the canopy of leather over the branches above him for shelter and shade, and then lay out to drowse the day away. He made sure the volume was on high on his phone, and then tucked it in his pocket. He'd have a long night ahead of him once he woke up, finding a car to steal to start the drive North. For now, he just needed to get out of this county fast so that no one would be able to link Sari or Zoe to himself. Once there was a good hundred miles between them, he could take his time the rest of the way North. Up there he had some old contacts near the border that might just have a few…interesting ventures for him. Not that he needed the money- hell, he had plenty of money- but the distraction would be good for him. He needed to toughen back up, especially knowing it would be at least six weeks- _maybe eight, ten?_- until he could take Zee and Sari out of that stupid school.

The wind blew hard, and he held in a shiver from the cold air that blew down the front of his shirt.

'_God damn it._'

* * *

Unlike her mate, Zosia lay curled in the middle of a big, soft king-sized bed, wrapped up in her fur coat. She'd been given use of the very last bedroom on the third floor, down the long hall of the west wing. The only other occupied bedroom on this wing was four doors down from her, and she'd heard the weather witch come bed an hour before. Either Professor Xavier was insightful beyond his mutation, or he had skimmed her mind enough to know that it was safer to put her away from the collective population of the school.

The deep quiet of the mansion made her feel uneasy and off balance. She knew that this was a school, and that there were dozens of students sleeping just one floor below her, but she felt very alone in her bed. Warts had sounded like a buzzsaw on concrete when he managed a deep sleep- prompting Mystique to try to suffocate him more than once. He had been mostly nocturnal, sleeping better during the day, and kept the television on all night to keep him company. Around four in the morning, Mystique would be up and about, and Zoe could hear her showering in the bathroom beside their room. At five forty-five, sharp, Eric would walk past their bedroom door on his way to find Mystique and figure out what breakfast would be and decide what needed to be done that day.

The feral had never spent the night in such unnatural quiet. Even the woods had their crickets.

Laying there in the darkness, watching the stars out the window beside her bed, she absently stroked Sari's back. The sleeping cub was cuddled against her, covered with the edge of her mother's cape. It was going to be a long time before the snow melted. She didn't know the mutants here outside of what Mystique and Victor had told her, and she wasn't sure how much trust to put into any of them. Would they really let her stay until Victor came back?

'_Oh, Victor . . ._'

Victor had snored- a soft sound more like a purr than a snore, really, and she could feel it vibrate against her chest as they slept. He always slept with his big, strong arms over her, holding her possessively to the mattress with his body. She couldn't pile enough blankets on top of her to simulate his warmth, his weight, pressing into her. Nothing could replace the feeling of peace he brought over her when he was near.

It wasn't as though she couldn't be comfortable, though, in his absence. She had packed what was necessary to have, and left behind what was easily replaced. Her mate had given her control of her own bank account with more money in it than most humans could use in several lifetimes. Anything she needed, anything Sari needed, there was more than enough to provide them with it.

She pulled her cloak up closer around her daughter, cuddling her to her chest. Burying her nose in the soft fur of her cape, she inhaled deeply the scent of Victor- something that smelled of male, of wood, earth, and rain. '_He always smells like rain._' Beside her, her daughter hardly stirred, sleeping peacefully up close to her _maman_. His cub, his scent, his grasp on her heart- it all made her miss him so terribly, like he had been gone years instead of just hours. She missed him already. With a small smile, she reached across the nightstand and pulled the polaroid picture from beneath the lamp where she'd stashed it.

It was one of the first pictures of her and Victor taken- and the first one after they'd mated. Toad had worked so hard to get it, and even harder to keep the blonde feral from ripping it to shreds to be rid of it! Her finger traced over the flow of Victor's mane, down to where it mingled with her own as she laid with her head on his shoulder, and his face against her neck. They'd fallen asleep, and she'd woken up first. Wanting his attention, she'd nuzzled against his skin. Slowly waking, his mouth went to nip her neck, and that's when the shutter clicked.

* * *

_"_Mein Lehrer_." Zoe purred, looking up as Eric and Toad came in the front door, but making no attempt to move from her warm perch. Mystique was lounged across Eric's armchair, watching whatever random war movie was on with them, but she was about as bored with it as Zosia was. She sat up proper when the door opened._

_"How did everything go?" Mystique asked. _

_Eric Lehnsherr put his coat on the metal hook by the door, and then turned a pleased expression towards the three sitting. Toad, next to him, was carrying a cardboard box. Eric gestured to the box. "Very well." He took his box back from the green mutant, and watched Toad take a seat on the couch, sans shoes._

_"You wouldn't believe it, Vic," Warts had gone to sit down on the far end of the couch, pulling off his socks. "-we had to meet up with this beast o' a mutant- made you look like All-American boy, he was so revolting! Said he was an elephant feral, he did. Had the thick skin for it, though it were pink instead o' gray." He chuckled, in a good mood. "O'course, by the smell o' him, I'd say he were more cow feral than elephant. He reeked o' a cat'le ranch."_

_"You kill him?" Victor asked, turning back to the television as a grenade went off on the screen._

_"Nah. Mags wouldn't let me." Toad answered, leaning back into the couch cushions with a groaning sigh. "Good to be home, mate." Victor grunted._

_"Did you want me to start working on this now?" Mystique asked, gesturing to the box in Eric's arms as he walked to her chair. "Or would you prefer to rest for a while?"_

_"I think I'd like to rest first." he answered. "But if you will come with me, I will brief you on what we've learned." She held her hand out to him, and he took it in his own. She stood, and the two of them walked back towards his study down the long hallway._

_Once the two were out of eyesight and hearing, Toad snorted. "What we've learned, my neon green arse."_

_Zosia gave him a light flick on his shoulder behind her back without losing her place against Victor's side. He slouched down into the cushions, legs out on the coffee table in front of him. When she cuddled up to him, he raised his arm, putting it across the back of the couch. She took his invitation, curling up on the couch against his side, her feet beneath her, and her head rested against his shoulder._

_"What movie is this?" Warts asked, glancing at the two ferals on the other end of the sectional. He did a double-take, but held in his comment for now._

_"Some military movie. Boring." Zoe answered quietly, letting her eyes slide closed. Perhaps she could rest for a few moments here._

_Mortimer smirked, reaching out and running one pinky nail up the length of the underside of one of Zoe's bare feet. He got the reaction he was after when she jerked, putting herself in Victor's lap in surprise. He laughed._

_"Warts!" she hissed, more amused than angry. Victor growled at him, pulling Zoe down against him so she wasn't blocking the television. She kept her legs out toward Mort's end of the couch, but kept the soles of her feet against the cushions so he couldn't tickle her again. She rested on her side, her head on Victor's shoulder. "I'm much too tired to play with you."_

_"Since when are th' two o' you touchy-feely, eh?" Mortimer asked, eyeing the two. Zoe's eyes slid open, looking over at him. He raised an eyebrow at her._

_"Not your business, Frog." Victor growled, eyes on the tv._

_"Eric know?" Mort asked. Victor grunted. "Fucked her right, yet?" By the tone of Victor's growl, and how Zoe's joined it, he figured it was an answer in the affirmative, and he was surprised. "By God, mate, but Eric's gonna gut you like a pig!"_

_"No, he won't." Zoe returned, her voice unworried. She closed her eyes again, relaxing in Victor's lap. She wanted a nap, and he was such a big teddy bear beneath her._

_"Beh- like 'ell he won't, Cat. He'll come down 'ere and see his lit'le prodigy sittin' in the arms of his attack-cat, and he'll shit kittens!" Toad laughed. "Mys'ique know?"_

_"Yes."_

_"And you're still alive." he said. He sighed, leaning back to watch the movie. "But I bet you anythin' tonight's gunna be a shitload o' fun." After a moment's pause, he turned back to the two of them. His face turned serious after a moment. "Eh, Vic?"_

_The larger feral grunted._

_"You ever come across a nice lady toad, you let me know, eh?"_

_The feral smirked. "I'll let ya know."_

* * *

She'd been knocked onto the couch as Victor lunged after Toad, but she'd be damned if she'd stayed there and missed the fight in the training rooms over the camera! If the fight hadn't been so damn silly- if there hadn't just all of a sudden been green slime _everywhere_- she'd have fought, too, but she was too busy laughing at her big, mean Sabretooth chasing the green, chattering hyena-slash-toad around the gym.

Her lips quirked at the memory, and she tucked the photo under her pillow for safe keeping. Maybe it would help her rest, because she knew she would not sleep. Sleep would be hard to come by until he came back for her, and she couldn't trust this place yet.

She pulled Sari closer to her, and let out a tired sigh.

'_Where are you, mon lion, my Victor?_'

* * *

_They were dragging her in by her ankles; her body was bruised, bloody, and broken. With the injection they had forced on her earlier that morning- '_Morning? Day? Night?_'- her body was taking much longer to heal itself. The blood- not only her blood, but the blood of another's- was turning cold as it dried, sticking on her skin, but she was too injured to shiver. In the midst of her world of pain, a single swatch of hair was hanging over her face, tickling her, and she had no strength left to move a hand to remove it. She had no breath to blow it away- she'd stopped breathing a few minutes before, but her mutation wouldn't let her lose consciousness. Her lungs were punctured, collapsed, and she could feel them hanging limply in her chest, and feel the burn in them as her body screamed at her to breathe in. Her heartbeat had slowed to a mere handful of beats per minute, and every time she felt it, it throbbed a dull ache throughout her body- refusing to let her die._

_She let out a weak, breathless grunt as they pulled her through a doorway, knocking her head on the threshold. Her vision- what little there was left of it- went white for a few seconds, but when it cleared, she knew exactly were she was. Panic clouded over her, telling her- screaming at her- to move, move, MOVE! But try as she might, her beaten frame would not follow her mental commands. They were putting her up on the exam table now. They were strapping her in, tying her down._

_". . . and what about number ten . . ."_

_". . . not fare well against the . . ."_

_They were speaking in another language- one she could not decipher by body language alone. The only words she recognized beyond the number name they'd given her, she never wanted to hear again. She tried to listen over the sound of her lungs screaming for breath- her veins throbbing with the weak beat of her heart. She thought maybe soon, she'd black out and not wake back up. Panic was overwhelming her- taking over her, drowning her._

_A loud creak told her they were opening the tank._

_'PAS, DIEU, NE LES LAISSANT PAS ME METTRE DANS LE RESERVOIR!'_

_She could hear herself whimper, and felt the hot sting of tears coming into her damaged eyes._

_". . . another 20 cc's . . ."_

_". . . about the body . . ."_

_". . . made me proud- we don't . . ."_

_". . . Sir, number 15 is dead."_

_She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to wash Damon's blood off her body. Most of all, she wanted to die._

_'_Oh, Damon, I am so sorry . . . you were my only friend . . . the only one who knew . . . Gods, Goddesses, what have I done? . . ._'_

_She could smell the liquid- see it in her mind- and knew she was being put in the tank. Her mind burned with the realization, pumping out as much anesthetizing hormones as they could, not knowing that no amount of adrenalin could make her able to move- it only kept her blood from clotting so she bled more. She felt a sharp prick in her shoulder, then another in the vein on her forearm. Needles. Her skin crawled; her brain continued to scream._

_Her lungs quickly healed, re-inflating, and she drew in a light, painful, shuddering breath._

_'_No . . let me die . . . please . . . just let me die . . ._'_

_". . . six hours . . ."_

_". . . it will heal . . ."_

_The water was cold- it was always so cold- when they lowered her naked body in._

_'_NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!_'_

* * *

To be continued . . .


	6. Chapter 6

Greetings from The Lady Mage! Read, enjoy, review!

Legalities: I promise, if I did own Sabretooth . . . ***drool*** . . . well, you'd never see my ass on here ever again! But ***sigh*** here I am, so I guess he isn't mine . . . yet. I'm still scouring eBay!

* * *

FERITY: (fehr-ih-tee) - (noun) - 1. The state of being wild, untamed. 2. Savagery; ferocity.

* * *

**RECAP:**

_She could smell the liquid- see it in her mind- and knew she was being put in the tank. Her mind burned with the realization, pumping out as much anesthetizing hormones as they could, not knowing that no amount of adrenalin could make her able to move- it only kept her blood from clotting so she bled more. She felt a sharp prick in her shoulder, then another in the vein on her forearm. Needles. Her skin crawled; her brain continued to scream._

_Her lungs quickly healed, reinflating, and she drew in a light, painful, shuddering breath._

'No . . let me die . . . please . . . just let me die . . .'

_". . . six hours . . ."_

_". . . it will heal . . ."_

_The water was cold- it was always so cold- when they lowered her naked body in._

'NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!'

* * *

"_NO! NE PAS ME LAISSER SE NOYER!_"

The feral jerked up on the bed. The scream from her lungs had startled even herself. Her black eyes darted around the unfamiliar room, seeing through the shadows, looking for the men in green jackets- looking for the regen-tank. Her heart was racing, her blood rushing loudly in her ears. The blanket and sheet was a shredded mess under her clenched hands.

It took a few seconds for her to recognize the sound of a baby's cry, and she jerked again, whipping to the side, looking down to Sari beside her. The cub's face was bright red as she cried out, scared, confused. The feral mother snatched up the baby, holding her tightly to her chest, thanking the stars she hadn't hurt the innocent cub. She drew as much comfort from her newborn as she gave to her, shoving the torn covers back from her legs.

"Sari," she murmured softly, cuddling the cub to her chest "_Je suis desole . . La maman est desolee qu'elle vous ait effraye._ (I'm sorry. Mama is sorry she scared you.)" She kissed the top of Sari's head, gently rocking her. "_Je ne vous blessarais jamais._ (I would never hurt you.)"

The bedroom door slammed open, and she jumped again as Jean, Scott, and Ororo all appeared there. They were breathless, disheveled, standing in her doorway in their pajamas. She growled at them- a deep, low warning. Sari went silent and still in her arms- feral instinct.

"Are you alright?" Jean asked, a hand over her heart.

"Why did you scream?" Scott asked, his voice mildly annoyed, fingers still lingering near the button on his glasses.

The feral didn't answer them, only leveled the man with a glare for a few seconds before turning back to her cub. Sari was far more important; she finally cut the growl off and settled the baby against her breast. The strap of her tank was shrugged off, and the baby held to nurse.

Noticing the state of the bed, Ororo stepped into the room, and almost jumped back into the hall when the girl's head whipped up to see who had moved closer. Zosia's eyes were pitch black, and hard as a rock- _just like Sabre_- The eyes immediately softened back to their midnight blue, the feral's expression becoming almost needy for a few seconds. Before she could fully examine the emotion in them, Zoe had put her eyes back down to Sari in her arms.

"Your blanket." Ororo said softly, her voice gentle and motherly. She came to the foot of the bed, gesturing to the ragged blankets. "Are you alright?"

"_Je vais bien._ (I am fine.)" Zoe answered, her voice a hiss. She peripherally watched the white-haired woman come to her side of the bed, stopping as soon as the feral began to lean away.

In the hallway, Jean gave Scott a gentle push towards the stairs. "Scott, go back to bed. It's alright." He resisted, but let her direct him away from the threatened girl and cub, leading him back down the hallway.

"_Je suis . ._ " Zoe managed a whisper without the hiss, just loud enough for Ororo to hear her. "I am sorry . . for the _couverture._" Without the other two teachers there, she looked up to the windrider. "For waking you."

Ororo gave her a soft smile. "It's okay. We have other blankets." she said, daring another step closer. When the girl didn't lean away, she carefully approached the bed. "Its Saturday- no classes in the morning. No problem." She bent over and lifted the girl's cape from the side of the bed where it had fallen, and took it to the rocking chair. After she put it over the back of the chair, she came back to the girl's bedside. "Are you sure you are alright, Zosia? Is the baby alright?"

"Yes, _Mlle_." whispered the girl. Her free hand was tangled in her necklace, rubbing the two tags together, her own claws pricking into her skin.

"You're cutting yourself, sweetheart." Ororo said, watching a streak of blood travel its way down Zoe's breastbone. The girl glanced down at the blood, and absently wiped it away with her fingers as she pulled her claws from her skin. "Why don't you take the baby and rock her in the chair for a bit?" she asked, gesturing to the rocker. "I'll remake your bed while you put her back to sleep. How's that, hmm?"

The young-looking feral watched her for a moment, searching the windrider's face and eyes for hostility. When she found none, only the curious scent of understanding, she gave a curt nod. She swung her legs over the edge of the mattress. Holding her nursing daughter to her chest, she stood, dressed only in her pink tanktop and a pair of black boyshort panties. As the girl sat down in the rocking chair, curling up, snuggling into the fur cape there, Jean came back into the room with a new blanket and sheets from the linen closet down the hallway. She helped Ororo pull away the ruined bedding, looking up when Ororo paused at the girl's pillow. Beneath the girl's pillow was a little square polaroid picture. She watched Ororo pick it up, examining it.

"What is it?" Jean asked softly.

Ororo shook her head, carrying the picture over to the girl in the rocking chair. Zoe was turned, her cape around her, her attention soley on the baby at her breast. She only tilted her head towards the woman as she walked closer. "Here, Zosia." Ororo said, handing her the picture. "Wouldn't want to lose this."

"_Merci, moka._" Zosia murmured, her thumb touching Ororo's as she pulled the picture into her lap. "_Merci._" She watched her return to the bedding, ignoring Jean's curious expression as she tucked the photo under her thigh, out of sight.

It only took the two women a few minutes to have the bed remade, and the pillows re-cased. Jean put the pillows at the head of the bed, and turned down the blanket and sheets. "Why did you yell out, Zosia?" she asked softly, tossing the ruined bedding in the hamper to be dealt with later. When she received only silence, she turned her head to the girl. Zoe was curled in the rocker, eyes only for Sari as she rocked. The telekine couldn't help but smile, watching them.

The windrider turned her eyes to the girl as well, following Jean's line of sight. "Zoe? Why did you yell out?" she asked. This time, the girl looked up, meeting Ororo's eyes. The dark blue depths were still half dilated black.

"_J'ai reve . . I dreamt._" was the quiet answer.

"A bad dream?" asked Jean. Silence. The telekine scowled, looking to Ororo. The windrider shrugged lightly, giving the girl a concerned look. '_What was the picture of?_'

'_The girl . . and Sabretooth._' Ororo's eyes went back to the bed. '_He was holding her while she slept. Anyone but him, and I would think it was a sweet picture._'

'_Sabretooth holding her?_' Jean looked mildly surprised.

"Did you have a bad dream, Zoe?" Ororo asked aloud. "A nightmare?"

". . . Yes." The feral let out a sigh, meeting Ororo's blue eyes. "I'm not used to . . . well, sleeping alone. _Je me rappelle des choses quand je dors._ (I remember things when I sleep.)" She leaned her head to rest back against the back of the chair.

"Used to sleeping next to Sabretooth, huh?" asked Jean, coming to stand next to Ororo. She felt like rolling her eyes when the girl ignored her again. Reading the girl's mind- what she could decipher of the strange emotions instead of worded thoughts- she couldn't find anything that told her the girls disliked her, or distrusted her. It was like she barely recognized her as being present. '_But why is she ignoring _me_?_'

"I bet it is strange to sleep alone after so long next to Sari's father." Ororo murmured, coming to stand next to the chair. The girl only tilted her head slightly to hear her.

"_Mein Lehrer_ . . Eric . . they never left me to sleep alone- not after my first few nights." The girl smiled a little smile, and Jean could feel the trust for the windrider in the girl's mind. "Myst- she took pity on me and let me sleep in her room. Until I moved to Victor's room, she always sat with me until I fell asleep."

"Are you afraid of being alone?"

"I don't think so." Zoe shook her head with an amused snort. "But when I sleep alone . . " Her eyes darkened again, but didn't go black. "I remember things . . things better left forgotten."

"You dream about how you acquired those tags around your neck." It was a statement, intuitively known fact. Ororo shifted her eyes back to Jean.

"Yes, _mon moka_." The mother gently separated the baby from her skin. After a short cuddle, she put the newborn to her other side to continue her meal. "_Ma petite fille . . my precieuse enfant . ._" she whispered to Sari, holding the baby's tiny hand in her own.

"All done." Jean said with fake cheer, moving to the door to leave.

"_Merci._" Zoe looked up at the redhead, acknowledging her. She offered a small smile, and Jean returned it with a nod.

"I'm going to go check on Scott." Jean turned to Storm. "You coming?"

The windrider met her eyes. "I'm going to stay here for a minute, and help her settle."

"Alright. Goodnight, you two."

"_Bonne nuit,_ Telekine." Zoe said, her voice almost friendly. She could smell the woman's emotions, and the little hints of distrust, jealousy, desolation, especially that brief flash of rage, had not gone unnoticed. It wasn't as though she could help her feelings- her instincts. That last ping of emotion had only reinstated what they told her. Telepaths were nearly always trouble- this one more than most.

Ororo moved to take a seat at the foot of the bed, tucking her hair behind her ears. She gestured to the baby in Zoe's arms. "I wonder how the Brotherhood reacted to her."

It brought a small smile back to her lips to think on it. "They were happy for us." she answered, looking up to the woman. "Why does my picture make your heart jump?"

"Hmm?" Ororo asked, her eyebrows raising.

"The picture." She pulled it from beneath her leg, holding it up where Ororo could see it. "I heard your heart jump when you saw it. . . Not fear. Confusion? Why?"

"I just don't picture him as being . . The man in that photo does not match the man I have seen- they merely look the same."

"He is savage, yes- a beast. But he is like me: he is feline, he is feral. I can see through his ferocity, and past his rages, down to where he is Victor." she said softly. "Not just the beast, but the man."

"Do you love him?"

"_Oui._ Very much." The feral nodded, purring. "He and Sari- they are my heart."

"Does he love you?"

"Very much." She smirked again, but kept the expression light. "You don't believe me."

"I didn't say anything." Ororo shook her head, innocent.

"You don't have to _say_ anything, _mon moka_. I can read your eyes. It seems strange to you that he should love anyone, does it not?" The girl only searched the windrider's eyes again for her answer. "He took such a terrible risk to bring us here, the baby and I. You could have attacked him, attacked us. You could have mortally wounded him- you could have killed us- but he stood before you a man, and asked for our safety. He knew we would not be safe with him, and because he loves us, he brought us here so that we would be safe."

Ororo only nodded, but seemed unconvinced. She watched as Zoe moved the now-sleeping cub up onto her shoulder, giving Ororo a perfect view of the sweet newborn as Zoe fixed her tank back. "She's a little doll, Zoe."

"Zee."

"Hmm?"

"Call me Zee." repeated the feral. "It's my nickname. Only my family calls me Zee." She slowly ceased her rocking, moving Sari, asleep now, down to the crook of her arms. The cub let out a heavy sigh in her slumber, and her mother smiled.

Secure the baby was sound asleep, the mother stood from the rocking chair. She smiled at Ororo as she walked past, laying the baby down on the bed next to the pillows. Her eyes glanced at the clock on the nightstand. 4:23. In another hour or so, Victor would be bedding down somewhere.

_Without me._

"Are you tired enough to sleep again?" Ororo asked, watching Sari's chest rise and fall.

The feral visibly winced. "I don't think I'll sleep again this morning."

"You need your sleep, Zee." argued Ororo gently.

Zosia smiled at the nickname. "I will survive."

The windrider was quiet for a few moments, watching Zee pull an intact blue tank top from her leather bag to replace the pink shredded one she wore. She looked to the door, the clock, the bed beneath her, and back. Finally, she met the girl's eyes. "Would you like me to sit with you?" she offered. "Will it help you to sleep?"

Zosia's expression was indecisive, almost scowling, and seemed embarrassed for a few seconds. "I don't want to inconvenience you, _mon moka_." she finally said, shaking her head. "You do not have to stay with me." She turned her back to Ororo and quickly changed her tanks.

"Well, did you not just say that you would sleep better with someone in here with you?" Ororo asked. When the girl nodded, turning back, she continued. "Then I will sit with you. You have a daughter to care for; you need all the rest you can get, Zee."

"You feel safe here?" The midnight blue of her eyes darkened the tiniest bit, and she cocked her head to the side, watching Ororo closely. "Alone, asleep?"

The weather witch raised one eyebrow. "Am I not?"

The feral tipped just the tiniest bit, her lips hardly twitching, but her eyes seeming to lighten back up. She nodded once, shutting the bedroom door. "Do you fear the dark, _mon moka, mon_ 'Ro?"

"No." answered the woman, moving to sit at the head of the bed. She blinked when Zoe flicked off the light, casting them in almost-pitch blackness. The little nightlight in the bathroom was just bright enough to throw shadows across the room. She could just make out the darkness moving as the girl silently slunk back to the bed, startling the windrider when she was suddenly beside her like a ghost in a horror film.

"Tis only I, _mon cher_." Zoe whispered with a purr. She pulled back the blanket, and watched Ororo settle down beneath. With her laid down and settled, the feral moved to cuddle her cub, sitting against the headboard. "Good night, _mon moka_." she purred.

"Aren't you going to lay down?"

"Yes- in a moment. It takes me a little while to resettle." She resisted the urge to cuddle up to the woman, wondering what it was that made her feel so at ease- why her instinct said there wasn't any reason to not trust her. She had been careful in the lab, passive and harmless, when she had allowed her to look at Sari. No scent on her told the feral she was dangerous to be around, or that she should be on guard around her, and yet, she was finding it hard to relax.

Mystique had been the same, if not easier to accept. One or two conversations had told her that the metamorph was cynical but not unwilling to welcome another sibling to the cause. In fact, she'd seemed rather pleased that there was another female around. Three days after her arrival, she and Mystique were already beginning to be thick as thieves. Despite her ferity, Zosia felt she must be naturally accepting or others. Her brother had been harder to get to know. He was always teasing and joking, purposefully being a royal pain in the ass to distract away from himself. He didn't let people see what was under his green skin, but Zosia could sense who he was. And Victor . . . well, he was just Victor. It was almost like looking into a mirror and realizing that all the things she did on blind instinct- all the feral cues she hadn't noticed herself doing- had meant something. There was a whole unspoken language she didn't know she was fluent in until she'd met him.

Beside her, Ororo's breathing was beginning to even out. '_She must be very tired to fall asleep so easily in my company._' With the other woman there, Zosia felt a little better but was still a little afraid to try to sleep again. Afraid more memories would come in her dreams. With a sigh, she scooted down to lay, putting Sari in between herself and Ororo, and pulling the blankets up over them.

She wondered to herself why she couldn't remember things like Victor did. He'd not told her much, but he had told her that he remembered his whole life, and his whole experience with the mysterious Weapon X program. If she remembered like he did, maybe she could process it all out and the horrible nightmares would stop. Why had she forgotten everything? _How_ had she forgotten everything? Victor had told her- every time she asked- that it was better not to go digging up the past. Better left forgotten. If she'd been made to forget, there was damn good reason- what they had done to her had been something horrible.

'_Like fight to the death in the ring? Drown over and over in the tank?_'

Maybe they had experimented on her; Cut her apart and sewn her back together again. Maybe they had used her to study healing. Maybe they had used her to study bloodlines- not to make mutants stronger, but to make sure that they destroyed those that would breed strong. Thin the herd a bit?

Did she have family left somewhere that she couldn't remember? A mother and father? Was she taken in the night to be an experiment or had she been born into the program? How old was she? She looked like a human teenager- with makeup she could make herself look at least like she was legal but not legal enough to even get into a bar. Some ferals don't age past a certain point and some aged terribly slow- their lifetimes surpassing generations and generations of humans. Which was she?

Why did Victor become angry when she asked him about it? Was he trying to protect her? Or was there something about it all that bothered him deeply, too?

* * *

Like it? Tell me in a review!

The Lady Mage


	7. Chapter 7

Greetings from The Lady Mage! Read, enjoy, review!

Legalities: . . . Do we really need to do this every single time? I own Zosia, I own Sari, I own any other weird unknown names/faces/places in here, but sadly, no Victor . . .

* * *

FERITY: (fehr-iht-ee) - n.- 1.) The state of being wild or untamed. 2.) The state of being savage; ferocity.

* * *

_. . . Let me tell you about love . . . About the moon and stars above . . ._

The blonde behemoth rolled his eyes. He had to steal the only damn truck- the only damn truck in the whole fucking parking lot- with the only way to turn the radio OFF . . . broken.

And it was stuck on a country music station.

It wasn't blaring, but it was just loud enough that it was leeching its way into his subconscious, and he didn't like it one bit. Why country? Why couldn't it be something good- like ACDC, or some Black Sabbath- The Doors? At least they were worth listening to! Not this damn 'I'm so lonesome I could cry' shit! Hell, he'd even listen to that noisy shit Zoe had liked to listen to while she did her katas. He'd rather his ears hurt too bad to hear, than to hear this and hurt.

_. . . It's what you've been dreaming of . . . Let me tell you about lo-_

Finally, he reached out with his claws, and ripped the radio out of the dash, leaving a jagged, broken hole behind. With a growl, and a satisfied grunt, he tossed it out the truck window, smirking when the cars on the interstate behind him swerved to avoid it. "Shouldn't have been standing there, Shitstains."

It had taken him a good four hours to try to fall asleep that morning, and when he finally had managed to slip into slumber, it hadn't been worth the effort. Memories riddled his dreams, bouncing from pleasant thoughts of his Zee to nightmares of green military flak and of being controlled. But, the nightmares hadn't been what had startled him awake. The nerve endings beneath the scar on his neck had suddenly come alive, his mind on his mate- naked beneath him, eyes black-feral, fangs cutting into her lips as she bit them to hold in a moan. The next thing he knew, he'd lost his balance and started to fall. His claws caught hold of the branch just in time to save his ass from falling out of his tree.

'_The fuck?_'

Not long after, he had decided it was time to go ahead and find a car. He was far enough South of the Statue that the cops in this podunk town shouldn't yet be worried about him, so he slipped into civilization.

He'd found a shed in a suburban backyard, and had used a water hose to clean up his arms and face. In his satchel, Zoe had packed away all he'd need, and he pulled out a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved maroon hoodie, and a white undershirt. He paused, putting the clothes to his face, pressing his nose into them, and inhaling deeply.

Her scent was all over them- permeating into every stitch. He inhaled again. He could smell the cub,_ his cub_, too, as though Zee had thought to lay the baby on the clothes before she packed them all away. A rare smile crossed his face for a few fleeting moments before he remembered that he must hurry. Quickly, he yanked the sweet-smelling clothes on, stuffing his leathers back into his pack before pulling on his manila work boots. His hair was brushed through with more care than even he thought he should give it- '_Zee loves my hair . ._' -before it was pulled into a ponytail at the base of his neck.

Finally, he skirted out of the yard, and took off in a leisurely jog towards the busier streets East. There'd been a small shopping center not far from here, and he'd looked through the lot for a vehicle that would not be too conspicuous on the road- at least for a day or so. He'd learned a long time ago to only keep stolen cars for very short periods of time. Any longer, and you risked cops coming after you. Not that he minded slaughtering a couple of cops, but he didn't want them to know he'd been this far South- that he'd even been near West Chester . They would not find out about Zee. He would see to it.

He looked down at the dirty map he'd found in the glove compartment. If he stayed on Interstate 87, it would take him up through Albany , and then he'd cut on over towards Niagara where he knew he'd have an easy time crossing the border. It was a good couple hundred miles of boredom, of listening to the wind rushing past the window. After that, he wasn't sure what he would do, but it was more than likely going to include a new vehicle- one with a WORKING radio. If he could get to LaSalle in a couple of days, he could set up in one of his old hidey-holes, call a few contacts, set up a few…_jobs_…and try to keep himself busy while his mate- his Zee- and his cub- his Sari- were waiting for him in West Chester.

* * *

She thought that perhaps it was an alarm clock going off somewhere in the mansion. Maybe it was the buzzer on the dryer going off? Had she missed the first school bell- was it Monday already? No, the bell didn't vibrate against her side. Then again, neither did a distant alarm clock, or the dryer's timer. The windrider scowled softly. She was so comfortable, so warm, and she was going to have to open her eyes.

With a soft sigh, she did so, turning her head to where her alarm clock would be- where it always sat on the nigh stand by her bed beside her night lamp and the novel she was in the middle of reading again. Instead of the little silver bell clock, the lamp, or the book, her eyes met the top of someone's auburn-haired head. Suddenly, she remembered where she was- in the new girl's room to try to comfort her into a good sleep. She lay on her side, her arm curled under her head on the different pillow. The girl, the pretty feral, the mate to Sabretooth himself, was curled up against her. Their bodies were pressed together; chest to chest, stomach to stomach, and thigh to thigh, save for the little pocket of cub curled up between them.

The sound, unrecognizable in her half-sleep, still vibrated against her, and the realization finally hit her as to what it was. Zoe- Zee, she had asked to be called- was purring like a big, overgrown kitten beside her. In her sleep, her face was calm, relaxed, and child-like with the slight pout her expression wore. She was an endearing girl; at least she had seemed to be sweet, despite the original iciness that she had first displayed. The windrider had spent a few nights helping other children to adjust, but never a teen mother- one who had lived with the Brotherhood, no less.

'_What could be scarier than that?_'

Weapon X, she supposed. Logan had awakened her a handful of times screaming, too. His room had been directly beneath hers, on the floor with the children. Zosia was right down the hall from her- she could hear the baby cry from her living space. She remembered that she had asked Jean once about the things she had read from Logan 's mind- about the things he dreamt of- and the few scenes the telekine had popped into her head had been enough to make her think twice that night to take a bath. She ended up showering the next morning instead.

Beside her, the girl stirred, the purr fading away in her throat. A second or so later, she opened her eyes. She seemed confused for a moment, but then relaxed her face again, shifting her head to look Ororo in the eyes. "_Guten Morgen_. (Good morning.)" she said softly, turning onto her back to stretch out, looking very much like a cat in doing so. Between them, the cub hardly noticed, still curled up like a kitten.

"Morning." Ororo returned, sitting up. The girl watched her move. It made her nervous, the predatory look the girl seemed to give her, but the second she felt it, Zoe changed her expression. "It's almost eight." she said softly. "I need to go get dressed. I have papers to grade, and children to look after." The feral nodded, pulling the cub up onto her chest. "Do you have everything you need? A toothbrush and so on?"

"Don't worry about it,_ mon moka_." Zoe all but purred her words, still a little groggy from her sleep. "I have basics. I will acquire what else is needed for us in due time. We were much too rushed to grab everything we needed before we left home a few nights ago." She finally let out her yawn, unknowingly reminding her sleeping partner of an over-grown lion cub.

"Well, today is Saturday." said Ororo. "We should be able to set aside a little time, perhaps, to take you into town. You will have to ask the Professor first, of course, but it would be no trouble."

"Any time is convenient, _mon moka._" Zee sat up on the bed, pushing the intact covers away from her legs. "I have clothes to last me for a short while. I shall only have to do laundry for myself. Victor has made sure that I am well provided for, thank you." The feral mother laid her sleeping daughter back between the pillows before walking to her satchel for her clothes, using the time while the baby slept, to hopefully shower and dress.

"I'm going to go get dressed now, Zee." Ororo announced, noticing the girl's small smile at the nickname. "I will see you downstairs for breakfast, alright?"

Zoe only nodded, watching her turn to go. When the windrider got to the door, but had yet to open it, she called out to her. "Ororo?"

"Yes?" The woman returned, looking over her shoulder at the girl.

" . . . Thank you . . . for staying with me. I appreciated the company. Greatly." said the girl, trying not to sound either ungrateful, nor overly so.

"You're welcome, Zee." returned the windrider.

Once the other woman was gone, Zosia dressed herself in another pair of dark blue jeans, and a silky red tiered camisole that hung down to the middle of her thighs. She had worn it as a dress while pregnant, but was pleased at being able to fit back into all- well, most of- the clothes that her sister had helped her shop for. Myst was nothing if not an eye for beauty, and had enjoyed Zosia's presence like one would enjoy a red-headed Barbie doll.

While the baby slept peacefully, the feral unpacked her leather bag, laying clothes- her own and Sari's- out on top of the dresser to be sorted and hung later, then settled her little pink jewelry box on the desk with a small mp3 player. She pulled a worn cigar box from her bag, and slid it underneath her bed, then tossed the couple of shoes in the bag at the closet door.

After slipping into a pair of black ballet slips, the feral mother laid out a little pink layette. When the baby decided to wake up, then to be fed, she dressed her. The tiny booties were still much too big, and the outfit a little large, but it was cute in a cuddly way. It was going to be hard to find much that would fit the preemie right now, but babies eventually grew, and one day soon, the layette would be much too small for her. She hoped, at least. There was still an ever-present fear in the back of her mind that the cub would just stop breathing again. Against her skin, held to her body in the sling, she could feel and hear Sari's breathing; it calmed her greatly.

"_Vous avez combattu tellement dur, mon chaton. Maman et Papa sont si fiers._ (You fought so hard, my kitten. Mama and Papa are so proud.)" The tiny feral only yawned in response, and her mother kissed her once more before lowering her into the sling around her.

Before she could cross the room to open the door, her stomach growled loudly. It had been a day since she'd eaten anything- too worried about this place to stomach much more than a few mouthfuls of Victor's venison jerky and a few gulps of water from a spring several miles from here. With a sigh, the feral lifted her bag from the floor, and stuck her hand down inside. She pulled out a little leather pouch full of leftover jerky. Half of the venison was quickly downed, the other half shoved into her pocket for later.

Out in the hallway, she carefully stalked her way down the corridor, smelling around her for anything familiar or interesting. The hallway smelled of children- all kinds of children- wafting up from the floor below from the balcony overlooking the parlor two stories down. She quickly and easily found Ororo's doorway, then snuck on down to find where she could smell the _Professeur's_ quarters. There was little more interesting on this floor, simply a few storage rooms and spare guest rooms, so she moved to the stairway.

At the head of the staircase, she paused, listening around her, before silently slipping down the steps to the second floor. This hallway was as empty as the one above it, but the bedrooms were much more diverse. There were two main wings, one decorated in blues and greens, and the other in softer pinks, reds, and lavenders. The different bedrooms all held anywhere from two to four beds, and for every room, there was at least one desk with one computer, one dresser for every bed, and one nightstand to go beside them all. Beyond that, posters covered walls, beds had colorful spreads, knick-knack clutter covered desks and shelves, personalizing everyone's living space.

Finished with her exploration of this floor, she moved back to the staircase- pausing only to recognize Jean and Scott's smell coming from the closed bedroom door opposite the stairs. She thought little of it, finally sliding down the last set of stairs. At the bottom of the steps, she took a right, walking into the parlor, taking it slow to see the detail in its decoration. _'Victor would like it here._' she thought, looking over the formal sitting room. Beyond it was a more casual recreation room, filled with all sorts of things to bide one's time by- books, games, a fooseball table, and a large television in front of two beige couches.

The girl smirked. "Warts would like this room." she whispered to herself with a small, sad smile. She approached the fooseball table in the center of the room and spun one of the little soccer players with her clawed thumb. It's jersey was the same green as his hair had been. She blinked hard, and turned her attention to the tall bookshelf on the far wall full of DVDs and video games. The bottom shelf was full of old board games that, judging by the light layer of dust on the boxes, seemed to be rarely played with.

None of the video games were rated over a T, and none of them were the bloody, shoot-em-up type of games that her reptillian brother had shown her. The feral rolled her eyes with a smirk, dropping her hand from running along the spines of the game cases. He had taught her how to play so that he would have a partner in crime. After she'd started beating him, he mostly designated her to driving the getaway cars while he shot at the cops behind them. Warts had never taken well to being beaten at anything. A harsh upbringing, she supposed, but he'd never spoken of it. '_Not to me, at least._'

On this side of the school, the feral had discovered a small office used for book-keeping and the like, along with a tiny library of books for smaller children. The lack of use showed her that there weren't very many young children here- mostly preteens and older. Beside the library was a set of double doors with big stained glass windows leading out onto a large rock patio. It was shoveled free of snow, save for a light blanketing of white fluff that had fallen during the night.

Intent on exploring the other side of the mansion, she retraced her steps back to the staircase and down the other side of it. Not fifteen feet down the hallway, she could hear children's voices- Jean and Scott's voices. She slowed her pace, creeping silently along through another sitting room. There was one paneled door set into the far wall; the smell of teenagers and the _professeur_ was strong by it. She could hear him speaking inside to the group, but his voice paused as soon as she laid a hand on the dark wood of the door.

'_Good morning, Zosia. Would you care to join us?_'

_'Gods and Goddesses!'_ She hated that she jerked at the voice inside her head. Damned telepaths.

'_I do apologise, Zosia. Please, come in._'

She snorted, the hair on her arms laying back down against her skin, the adrenaline surge subsiding as her body quickly metabolized the hormone. So much for peaceful exploration.

With a gentle turn, she opened the door just wide enough to slip inside. Professor Xavier was sitting in front of a group of sixteen teenagers, their ages ranging from perhaps thirteen to seventeen. In his lap lay an open textbook, and on the chalkboard behind him was written _'Advanced English Literature: Who was William Makepeace Thackeray?'_. He offered her a smile that she returned, ignoring the children watching her curiously.

"Would you care for something to eat?" Professor Xavier asked, closing his textbook. "Breakfast was at eight this morning."

"No, thank you, _mon professeur_." she answered, keeping her voice light and sweet, forcing the black to bleed back from her eyes. She glanced over the group of students. Each one was turned around in their chair, watching her. "Is it not the weekend?" Her attention returned to the professor as she glided across the room to stand beside his wheelchair. "Do you not let out for the children to rest?"

"Oh, yes. Advanced classes meet on Saturday mornings."

"He lets us sleep in first, though!" chirped a girl from the front row. The other students either smirked or chuckled.

Zosia ignored her, not as amused. She didn't like this lot of children so close to her or her cub. It made her feel closed in- like there was no escape. The prickly sensations running up and down the length of her spine made the hair on her arms stand again. Fight or flight, it whispered in her ear.

"I was going to ask Jean to show you around today, and then I would like to see the both of you downstairs." continued the _professeur_.

Her head nodded absently, while she glanced at the rich paneling of the wall beside her, imagining how it would look painted in the blood of the students sitting four feet from her. She could feel it, hot and sticky on her hands, slick between her fingers like thin glue; taste it, thick and coppery on her tongue and face as it spurts from a severed artery; the scent in her nostrils bitter and sweet at the same time, and strong- so strong. Suddenly, breaking her trance, she felt a sharp pain in her palm, and realized that she'd punctured the palms of her hands with her claws.

"Perhaps you will yet join us in the dining room for lunch, and allow me to introduce your presence to the other students." Charles said amiably. His voice was soothing to her, gently helping to ease away the animalistic urgings.

"Yes, _mon Professeur_." she nodded once more, her hands moving together beneath her sling, protecting the cub sleeping inside it.

The Professor looked out over his pupils with a stately air. "Don't forget to read your last five chapters by next weekend." he announced to them. "Class, dismissed." There was a brief burst of noise as the children hurriedly grabbed up their things, and evacuated the room. Alone with his new houseguest, Xavier spoke frankly. "Will you be able to control it, Zosia?"

Zosia gave him a scowl, taking a step back. "Control what?"

"Your animalistic tendencies; your ferity." he answered, his voice the same cool, calm tone. He met her blackened eyes. "Your urges."

"How should you know of my feral side, and of what urges I may or may not possess?" she asked.

"Besides the warning in Eric's letter?" he answered softly, a little amused smile playing on his lips. "That little demonstration you just gave gives me reason to believe him."

"I've not hurt anyone here." Zoe said, shrugging lightly. She followed him as he headed towards the hallway. "I cannot help some of these feelings- these urges- _Professeur_. It is simply who I am."

He paused. "You are not an animal; you are a mutant."

"Not wholly." A detached shrug. "Yet I could no more deny my feral side than you could deny the nose on your face."

He glanced at her sharply, then smiled good-naturedly with a nod. "I had thought, perhaps, that was the case." He gave her a wry smile. "I do understand, but you realize that I have a school full of-"

"I shudder to think what your next words would be." Zoe murmured, cutting him off. "I will do no child harm, Charles, I swear it." She held her claws up for her own inspection. "My cub is only eight days old; my protection instincts are in overdrive. It is not something that I can switch on and off at your convenience."

"No one is going to harm the baby here, Zosia."

"No," she confirmed liltingly, "They _**won't.**_ What is it you want of me downstairs?"

"Just a routine workup. We do it with every new student to better help us understand exactly what their mutation is. In the case of some, it has helped us to teach them to better control it. We've also discovered quite a few shared ancestral lines in students that have come to us from all over the planet. One day, we may be able to trace them all the way back to the very first mutation."

"Sounds like something _mein Lehrer_ would be interested in."

"Yes. He and I had, at one time, discussed the idea. But that was a long time ago."

Zosia smelled her before she heard her. Jean rounded the corner, dressed in black slacks and a white t-shirt, her hair tucked up into a mousy bun. "Good morning, Zosia." she said with a friendly smile. "Ready for a physical?"

The feral returned the expression half-heartedly. "_Bonjour, telepathe_."

"I was just telling her all about it." said Charles. "Shall we begin?"

"If we must." she resigned.

"It shouldn't take too long." reassured Jean, turning to walk to the elevator at the end of the hall. She paused, turning back to look the feral up and down, taking in the disheveled hair, the squirming cub, and the dark circles under Zosia's eyes. "Have you eaten anything yet?"

The feral pulled one of the last strips of dried meat out of her pants pocket, snatching it back as the telekine reached out to examine it. "Just some venison that Victor left in my backpack." she said, hoping her growl would camouflage the hitch in her throat at the mention of her mate.

The doctor almost scowled. "Alright, but as soon as we're done, you should come with me to the kitchen, and we'll get you something more substantial. That baby will drain you dry if you don't at least try to keep up."

The feral rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mysti-, er, Telekine."

Downstairs, the telekine had lead them down the same hallway, and into the same room as they had all been in the night before. Jean had laid out a pair of gray sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt on the first exam table, and there was a tray of instruments placed next to it. The telekine pulled a pair of glasses out of the top drawer of the desk, and placed them on top of her head. Pulling open the top file cabinet drawer, she quickly gestured to the clothes. "If you would, just pull those on."

The feral snorted softly, approaching the table. She lifted Sari up and out of the sling, laying the sleeping cup on her shoulder while she pulled the sling over her head.

"I'll be out in the hall while you change." Charles said, turning his chair around.

Sari was laid on the sling on the table while her mother quickly stripped her jeans off and pulled on the gray pants.

"Morning!" Ororo said, striding into the room.

Zoe glanced at her over her shoulder, pulling off her camisole. "Where is the _professeur_?"

"He went back upstairs to take a telephone call." answered Ororo. She stood next to Jean, watching the telekine sort the papers in Zoe's file. "I'm going to stay down here to help, okay?"

"Fine." shrugged the feral. With the white shirt on, and her clothes folded neatly on the exam table, she lifted her cub back into her arms.

"Ready?" Jean finished with the papers, and tucked a pen behind her ear. She patted the empty exam table. "Hop up."

The feral shrugged again, hopping up to stand on the table as easily as one would step up a set of stairs. In the same motion, she dropped down to sit cross-legged in the middle of the table. She watched Jean suspiciously again, but allowed her to listen to her heartbeat and check her pulse while Ororo recorded it all down for her. She'd let the telekine shine a light in her eyes, and to look in her ears, but stopped her when she ran a thumb over the scar on her neck. The feral jerked with a low, warning growl. Jean froze at the sound, startled.

When the telekine took longer than sixty seconds to move her hand, Zosia felt a low heat building in her groin, her mind flashing to her wayward mate- probably lounging in a tree, his leather shirt would be open to soak in the warmth of the sun, giving the tanned skin covering his muscular chest just a hint of colour. She imagined lapping at his... She jumped from the table, leaping in a single bound over the other exam tables in the room and dropped into a low crouch, the baby tucked safely against her middle as she let out a loud warning growl, then a low roar of rage and frustration. Sari whimpered in Zoe's arms, startled awake by her mother's growl.

"Your neck-"

"**Is fine **and requires no attention from **you**."

"Okay- Okay, calm down." Jean tried to project soothing thoughts towards the startled feral, but hit a solid wall of resistance. She lowered her tone of voice, speaking to Zoe like she would to a frightened child. "I'm not trying to hurt you- we need this for our records. We have to make note of every mark, mole, scar on your body in case something happens . . . so we can identify-"

The feral snapped at her with elongated fangs. "My mark is my business, telekine! Victor put it there, and only he should touch it! What the fuck- are you some kind of fucking lesbian, you weirdo?" She hissed again. "_Bordel de merde _. . .You have a holy fuckin LOT to learn about ferals, _Doctor_!" She sneered the last word.

"Lesbi- . . What exactly just happened here?" Ororo asked, her voice stern and slightly amused at Jean's discomfort. "Zee, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Zoe hissed, "I doubt I could say the same for my mate. He's probably furious right now- and for good reason!" She looked down at her cub, curled protectively against her body, and stood up out of her crouch. She shifted Sari up onto her shoulder to soothe her.

Jean quickly stepped back a pace as Zoe stood. "And why exactly will your mate be furious?" She asked, reaching to pick up the discarded notepad and pen to cover her retreat without taking her eyes off of the feral.

"Well, considering what time it is, we probably just knocked him out of a fucking tree." Zosia answered, scowling darkly, "And, knowing how _mein Geliebter_ lands, he probably has pulled a few rather sensitive and . . precious parts of his anatomy." She almost smiled at the disconcerted look on the telekine's face. She knew the woman was stunned, and couldn't help but wonder if it was from her particular vocabulary or from the image of Victor pulling his groin from his fall.

"Apparently," Jean said to Ororo, her expression matching the windrider's, "Her scar is_ very . ._ sensitive."

"Sensitive?" Ororo still looked confused, standing up straight and looking from the feral to the telekine and back.

"Yeah, sensitive." confirmed Zoe with a displeased grunt. "As Warts would say, _'Bad touch, bad touch!_'" She rolled her eyes.

"Oh . . Oh . . _Ohhh, dear_." Zosia could see the blush just beneath the weather witch's skin.

"I'm so sorry, Zosia." Jean said. "I didn't know- we haven't had a lot of ferals here- and never a mated couple. There's just a couple more things to check and we are all finished. Get it over with now and we'll never have to do it again."

With one last string of profanity, the feral, jaw set, stalked back to the exam table. She scowled deeply, looking down at her hands. Her claws had grown to be nearly three inches long, and she had to turn her hands awkwardly to keep hold of her cub without cutting her with them.

Ororo carefully approached the table, eyes to the floor until she was standing beside the girl's crossed legs. "Oh, my." she said, seeing the claws. She daringly reached out to run a finger along the length of one. "Do you need help?"

"Scissors. I need scissors." Zoe said disgustedly.

Jean pulled a pair from the desk and set them next to Zoe on the exam table, keeping a bit of distance from her.

"Sari . . ." Zoe murmmered, meeting Ororo's eyes pleadingly. "Can you . . Can you take her?" Her voice was displeased, but insistent. She moved her arms forward, maneuvering the cub down closer to the weather witch without using her fingers. "Will you please hold her for me?"

"Okay." Ororo said, cautiously reaching out and putting her hands beneath the cub's head and bottom. She lifted Sari up and cradled the cub gently to her chest. The cub went still, breathing in through her mouth, scenting the weather witch. After a few seconds, she relaxed, closing her mouth and drifting back towards sleep. "Aren't you a little cutie? So tiny."

Zosia lifted the scissors awkwardly with one hand, and stuck her pinky claw in between the blades.

"What are you doing?" Jean asked in surprise. "Won't-"

"They won't go back down on their own." Zosia said darkly, clipping the nail with a sharp _click_. "Leftover hormones. Throughout my pregnancy, I never could get them to retract all the way. Defensive strategy, I suppose." She hissed when she clipped the next one, a few drops of blood staining the grey sweat pants.

"That looks painful . . . " Jean winced.

"Well, I can't exactly go around like Edward-fuckin-Scissorhands, now can I." Zoe rolled her eyes, cutting the rest of the the needle-sharp claws away. Finished, she flexed her fingers until they all healed over and stopped bleeding. She would have to file away the sharper edges later. "Now can we please get this over with?"

"Is everything all right in here?" Scott asked, appearing in the doorway.

"Yes, yes." Jean said with a smile for him, walking to the scale on the far wall. "We're almost done. Just need her height and weight and we're all finished."

The feral slid off the table, brushing past Ororo as if to say '_stay_', and crossed the room. She stood with her back to the wall while Jean measured her height, then stepped up onto the scale.

"Wow, you're heavy for your height." Jean said, balancing the weight. "Do you have adamantium grafting?"

"Metal?" Zoe scowled. "Don't think so."

"Well, you weigh about as much as Logan, and he's got an inch on you." said Jean. "Are you sure?"

"I don't know. I lived with Erik for three years and he never mentioned it."

"Would it be okay if we took an X-ray?"

"How long will it take?" asked the feral, looking nervously towards her cub sleeping in Ororo's arms. Scott was standing just almost too close to them for her liking. She looked back at Jean. '_Will you ask her to stay there beside the table?_'

"Sure." Jean said, hearing her. She glanced to Ororo, who nodded, then back to the feral. "It will only take a second. Sari's safe." With the practiced ease of someone who had been patching up mutant children for years on end, Jean had punched in a series of numbers on the little black panel set into the wall next to them. An octagonal door panel slid open, and a long table slid out of the blue wall. She punched in another series of buttons on the panel, and the inside lit up with white light.

"Alright, here you go." said the telekine, patting the table. "Just lay out flat and try to be still. It'll only take a second."

Trepidatious, the feral scowled at the white table. She looked over to where Ororo, who had moved to sit on the exam table, sat with the tiny cub asleep in her arms. The idea of leaving the cub out here while she was in the machine- even for a few moments- was not a pleasant one. The weather witch seemed to understand, and moved the cub up onto her shoulder, holding her closer.

'_Je n'aime toujours pas ça._' (I still don't like this._)_ Her scowl deepened, but she moved up to lay on the white table anyway.

"Okay, just lay your arms out flat." said Jean. "And it will be over in just a minute." And with that, she pushed a button, and the table slid back into the wall, its door sliding in to place behind her.

* * *

_She could hear them crying down the hallway in their cages. The new ones always cried. They were cold, scared, hungry, tired. It wouldn't take them long to learn that crying got them nothing. They would toughen up._

_Or they would be slaughtered._

_That was the way of things. If you didn't do what you had to do to survive here, someone who cared more about their life would take your's. It was nothing personal. Just how it worked. If they put you in the ring, you fight or you die. Sometimes, both._

_She was going to be next, she knew. They hadn't brought her a tray of food- if you could even call it food- in two days. They'd held her down and given her the injection. Like it or not, she would go back into the ring, and she would kill again. _

* * *

Zosia blinked, hard. Her hands jerking up, claws lengthening again. The lights were still flashing in the x-ray machine.

"Lay still, please!" she heard Jean say through the wall.

'_The fuck . . !_' She laid her arms back along her sides, closing her eyes against the irritating lights. '_Quand avez . . ?_' (When did . . ?)

* * *

_The lights seemed to flash as they rolled her cage down the hallway, the optical illusion of watching the ceiling through the bars. She wouldn't look at the soldiers. That was what they wanted- to see her nervous and scared because she knew where she was going._

The ring.

_One of the guards was speaking to her, but she couldn't understand his language. His tone was taunting, and he pounded his club on the cage bars. The sound reverberated through the hallway, and made her ears ring painfully. Still, she watched the ceiling, refusing to look at the human. _

_Once again, he yelled at her as they rolled into the ring. She hardly blinked as his club came through the bars of the cage, jabbing her painfully in the ribs._

* * *

"How much longer?" Zosia yelled, her eyes darting around the small, enclosed space. Even she could hear the panic creeping into her voice.

"Almost done! It wouldn't take so long if you would lay still!"

"I **am** laying still!"

"I have to retake that last one."

"_Hurry __**up**__, telekine_!"

* * *

_"She didn't even . . . "_

_". . . gave up . . . "_

_"-gutted him! . . . "_

_". . . owes me $50 . . . "_

_"-should learn not to bet against this one . . . "_

_She couldn't breathe. Her damaged lungs felt withered within her chest, useless until she had reserves enough to heal them. She couldn't feel much below her hips save for the sharp pain in her ankles from the shackles. They'd laid her on a trolley this time, instead of just pulling her along the floor. Maybe they were sick of lugging her around._

_The ceiling lights flashed behind her eyelids. She couldn't open them yet- she wasn't sure she really wanted to. The soldier walking beside her prodded her bruised ribs with his club, then laughed when she winced. _

_". . . beat up, eh?"_

_"-better than the other-"_

_The smell hit her before they even opened the laboratory door. The acrid, metallic smell of the regen solution. The scent of the medical equipment, the smell of astringent and blood. Panic flooded her, her brain screaming at her to run, escape before they could force her back into the icy water! Her body wouldn't respond, no amount of adrenalin enough to heal her in time._

_What was left of her jumpsuit was cut away, and she was lifted up to the metal rack. _

_'Non . . . non . . . NON! Ne me mettez pas dans le réservoir!'_

* * *

Jean could feel it, all of a sudden, like the feral had just hit her in the forehead. Sheer panic and fear were rolling off of Zosia. The telekine reached out and slammed her hand over the emergency stop button just as the door covering the x-ray table dented out. A second later, it was across the room, and the feral shot out of the tube, across the room, and down the hall in a blur of movement.

"Zosia!" She ran to the doorway, followed by Scott and Ororo.

The feral was sitting against the elevator doors, knees up to her chest, claws dug into the metal floor, cutting through it like butter. There were five new grooves in the elevator door. The girl was breathing fast, practically panting, eyes wild, fangs lengthened. When the three ran out into the hallway, she roared at them, sounding like the Panthera she was named after. They paused their step. Scott kept his hand up beside his glasses. Sari cried, frightened.

"Zee, are you okay?" Ororo asked, bouncing the tiny cub.

". . . No." panted the feral, shaking her head. She pulled her claws from the floor, looking down at the punctures with a regretful wince. ". . Sorry about the floor . . " She stood up from the floor, glaring at Scott and his hand hovering over the dial on his glasses. "Feel like losin' that hand today, Buster?"

He smirked, cocky. "Bring it on."

"Would you bet your life I couldn't slit your throat wide open before you could even shift your eyes my way?"

"Scott, calm down." Jean said. "She's just a little claustrophobic. It's okay. She's not going to hurt anyone."

"Don't bet on it." Zoe put her hand on her hip, letting her eyes fade back to their deep blue, popping her jaw as her incisors retracted back into her gums. She looked at her crying cub in Ororo's arms, then at her long claws again with a disgusted look. "God damn it."

"Language!" barked Scott. "This is a school- full of children."

"The only child within hearing distance of us is my own cub, and if she didn't hear it from me, she'd hear it from her father." Her eyes bled black again, and she squeezed them tightly shut, shaking her head again. "Goddess, just stop! Just shut _up_!"

Jean poked her fiance in the ribs, mentally commanding him to back down so that the feral could calm herself. He didn't look at all pleased, but put his hand back to his side.

Ororo moved Sari to the crook of her arm, rocking her in her arms, but the cub continued to cry. "Oh, come now . . . your Mama's coming in just a second . . . "

"She's hungry, 'Ro." Zosia said, brushing past Scott to stand in front of her. "And I've got to cut my nails again." The weather witch followed her back to the exam table. The feral hopped up to sit, cross legged, beside the scissors. She clipped them as fast as she could maneuver the scissors before taking back the cub to nurse. "_Lion pauvre bébé._ (Poor baby lion.)"

"The professor is on his way down." Jean said, going to the big screen set into the wall beside the x-ray machine. Scott stood beside her, surveying the damage to the machine with a disgusted expression. "You've got quite an interesting skeleton, Zosia."

As if on cue, Professor Xavier rolled into the room. His eyes swept from the feral, to the nursing cub, to the damage to his medlab. "Well." He looked at Jean. "What happened here?"

"_Ils m'ont enfermée dans la boîte dans le mur._ (They locked me in your box in the wall.)" Zoe spat. Her expression quickly changed to one of self-reproach. "_Je suis desole, mon professeur._ I will replace your broken door- and the floor tiles in the hallway." (I'm sorry, my Professor.)

"That's quite alright, Zosia." the professor said kindly. "I know that Logan had quite a few outbursts as well, adjusting to this place."

"_Il est plus humain que sauvages. Plus facile. Certains d'entre nous sont des animaux un peu plus. Erik compris._" she returned. "_Je suis vraiment désolé pour les dommages, et je vais le remplacer pour vous. Juste me donner un montant._" (He's more human than feral. Easier. Some of us are just more animal. Erik understood. I truly am sorry about the damage, and I will replace it for you. Just give me an amount.)

"Don't worry about it right now." he returned. She only nodded, turning her attention back to her nursing cub. He looked back to Jean and Scott, who were looking at a giant screen displaying the x-rays they had just taken.

"No adamantium grafting." Jean said, crossing her arms, absently chewing her thumb nail. "But she has a very dense skeleton. You should be able to see darker gray in the middle of the bones where the marrow is- like someone outlined the bone with a white marker- but her's are solid."

"And that means?" prodded Scott, looking over the x-ray of the girls thighs and hips. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to a little circle on the x-ray.

"Piercing." Zoe said nonchalantly from across the room.

The younger man make a choking sound, his face blushing red. Ororo and Jean snickered at his discomfort. The professor remained stoic, his attention on the x-rays.

"Anyway," said Jean, continuing on. "It means she has very strong, heavy bones. This must be a secondary mutation- I mean, obviously her mutation is the feral gene, but her bone structure is . . . well, I've yet to see anything similar beyond Logan's x-rays."

Jean shrugged slightly. "Looks like you could jump off the roof of the school without breaking a bone."

Zosia raised one dainty eyebrow. "Or off of a statue?"

* * *

They hadn't stayed downstairs much longer. She had changed back into her jeans and camisole before two boys had came down- one with a badly skinned knee, and the other helping him to hop to the med lab. Storm had excused herself to go begin preparations for lunch while Scott and Jean began to tend to the injured boy. Professor Xavier rolled his chair over to where Zosia sat, rocking a now-sleeping Sari in her arms.

"Would you care to follow me, please." he said to her, his voice not a request. His eyes were still kind, looking up to her.

The feral nodded, sliding off the table. When he turned to move out the doorway, she walked along beside him. He lead her into the elevator, and up to the ground floor. She could hear now several students in the rec room past the stairs, the television on, the fooseball table being used.

Xavier's office was beside the library, and was furnished in the same rich, masculine style as the rest of the mansion. He rolled around behind his desk, and gestured to a chair in front of his desk for Zosia to sit in.

"Is this what it is like to be sent to the principal's office in school?" she murmured with a hint of amusement, taking the offered seat. Her hand reached out, running over the smooth wood of the desk. "Eric has one just like this."

The professor smiled kindly. "Zosia, my dear, I believe that we need to have a little chat." he said.

"You think I am unpredictable."

He chuckled softly. "I don't think you are- I know you are. That is just one of the aspects of your mutation. What I wanted to speak to you about is to reiterate to you that this is a school full of children- impressionable children- and I think that it would be best for them, and for you and your daughter, if they did not learn where you came from." He smiled again, resting his arms on the desktop, interlacing his fingers.

"I did not plan on announcing it to the world, _mon professeur_." she said casually, "But I am not ashamed of it."

"I certainly do not think that you are, but I am sure that even you know that no good could come from one of the students alerting the wrong people of your presence and your association with the Brotherhood- with your mate."

She nodded. "I will not go out of my way to make anyone aware."

"And about your mutation: we can help you learn to control it- to keep the animal urges at bay."

Snort. "I can control it." She gestured to the baby in the sling in her lap. "It will wear off in time. It is only because she is so young. I don't usually have to think about it. At least, not around my family."

"They accept you as what you are as well as who you are."

"Well, yes." A shrug. "But at the same time, they calm me. Victor feels it, too, and that is why he stayed for so long." She paused. "I apologize for my outburst downstairs. And for the machine. And the floor. . . And the elevator door." Her cheeks showed the softest hint of pink. "I can replace them."

"The elevator doors alone would be a small fortune. Don't worry about it for now, Zosia."

"Victor has purchased cigars for small fortunes." She shrugged again, non-commital.

"Has he."

"Here and there. He doesn't smoke much around me- I can't bear the smell of it." She scrunched her nose. "I don't know how he-" A very familiar smell hit her nose, and she spun around in her chair.

Standing in the doorway was a teenage girl, covered from head to toe, with chocolate eyes and dark brown hair. A long strip of white blonde hair streaked down from her forehead, framing her face. Child's pout lips were open in surprise. Her nostrils were flared the tiniest bit, and Zosia could tell that the girl, even though she was not feral, could smell her, too.

"Y-y-y . . . You!" stuttered the girl, pointing at the feral. "I know you!"

Zoe cocked her head to the side, watching her curiously. "Do you?"

"You were there! You were in the cell!"

"Marie, please come inside and shut the door behind you." said the Professor, voice calming. "We don't want the whole school to hear you."

The girl's mouth opened and shut again before she stepped inside and closed the wooden door behind her. She pointed at the feral again, looking at Charles. "She was there! She was with me in the cell! Magneto's cell!"

"I came into the cell- I wasn't imprisoned." Zoe corrected gently. "And I wasn't the only one."

"What do you mean, Marie?" asked the professor, looking from one girl to the other and back.

"Sabretooth- the green- Toad! They had me in a big bag, and they threw me into this dark room with bars!" said Marie, wide-eyed. "She came in and brought me a blanket."

* * *

_A cold breeze blew in from the barred window, and she shivered down to her bones. Curling up in a ball in the corner helped, but the saltwater wind seemed to penetrate through her coat like it was made of cheesecloth. The rock ground beneath her further chilled her. She hadn't felt her fingers or toes in an hour. She wondered what time it was, hoping that dawn was soon so there were be some more light in this dark little room- hoping the sun would warm the breeze. How long had she been here? Hours. A day, maybe?_

_". . . she'll freeze before morning!"_

_"Oh, for fuck's sake, Zee! She's going to die tomorrow anyway."_

_"Then what does it matter?"_

_"It's a waste of time."_

_"It's my time to waste!"_

_A loud roar echoed in the little cell from around the corner down the hall, and she clapped her numb hands over her ears. Another followed it, then a large metal door somewhere slammed hard. A soft, female voice said something in another language, her voice annoyed. _

_"Hello? Are you alive in there?" the voice asked, its tone gentle. Rogue gasped, skittering back across the cold stone floor to get away. It was right next to the bars! "Don't be afraid, little one." The girl looked up into the dark eyes of another teenager- this one dressed in a layered red satin camisole over black leggings. Her auburn hair fell in soft curls around her shoulders, tucked back behind her ears. She held the bars in her hands- each tipped with five sharp cat's claws. "I'm not here to hurt you, my dear."_

* * *

Rogue looked from the professor to the feral, squinting at Zosia. Her eyebrows drew together.

* * *

_They were walking down a long hallway of jail cells, each containing one prisoner. The Colonel stopped in front of one cell at the end of the hall, and gestured to the mutant inside it. When he caught up to the Colonel, he peered in. _

_A messy mop of curly red hair crowned her head, the black eyes peering out at him from her crouched position on the floor. White fangs glinted under the lights, peeking from between full lips. They had her dressed in rags that barely covered her, and were torn and bloodied in places. She reached up and wiped her forehead with a hand that had cat's claws, delicate but deadly-sharp. _

_Just like Victor's._

_"And this one?" he asked._

_"Went wild-" answered the Colonel. "-killed her whole village, women, children, and all. Been wandering alone for years before we tracked her down, slaughtering a farmer's flock of sheep. We keep her locked up for her own safety, as well as our's."_

_Save for the claws, she certainly didn't look like she could kill a fly, let alone a whole village. He studied her closer, and she backed away from him, eyeing him warily from the back wall of her cell. "A whole village, huh?"_

_"She may not seem it, but she's very good at what she does. Some ferals are just more wild than others. You, of all people, should understand."_

* * *

"You were there!" Rogue's expression changed to one of interest and excitement, cutting over to the feral. "You were there with him! Did you know Logan? Were you tortured, too? Do you remember?"

The feral scowled. "Remember what?"

"Logan!" She looked to the professor. "I have him still- inside my head. He has seen her before. She was there when he was."

"Was where?" asked the Professor.

" . . . I don't remember." Her face fell. "But Logan was there, and there were soldiers and this long hallway of jail cells. And he was there, walking, and saw her."

"Jail cells?" Zosia's scowl deepened. "Soldiers?"

"I see." Charles said softly, smiling to himself again. "You are seeing his memories. And he knew Zosia at one time?"

"Well, he kind of met her. But that's it, I think. His memories are so disjointed- and they mix in and out with all the others." she looked back down to Zosia. "Do you remember him?"

"The Wolverine?" asked the feral.

The teen nodded.

"I do not remember anything past about four years ago." the feral answered, shaking her head. "I only know of him now because of Victor."

"Victor . . . Sabretooth." It was Rogue's turn to scowl. "You are his mate, aren't you. You had a baby with him?"

"How do you know . . ?" Zosia was confused and didn't like it.

"Whenever Rogue touches someone, she absorbs a little piece of them into her." Xavier explained. "Memories, mostly, though sometimes she takes on certain character traits." Rogue blushed. "With mutants, she absorbs their powers as well. Rogue has touched Logan several times- nearly killing him. She has also come into contact with Erik."

"So you remember me through them." Zoe shook her head with a small smile. "You were inside another feral's head? You poor child." She laughed lightly, smiling.

"You did have a baby, didn't you? I'm right, aren't I? You and Victor were like married- Erik-er, Magneto- didn't like it."

"He never did approve, I suppose." shrugged Zosia. "But I did have Victor's cub, yes. That is why I wasn't at the Statue with the others- they left me out of it to protect me."

"What happened to it? The baby?"

Zosia crossed her arms under the sling, lifting it enough to reveal the baby inside the soft furs. "She's fine, _petite fille_."

Rogue's eyes closed.

* * *

_She could hear someone crouch beside her, and the sweet smell of wind and rain filled her nose. A soft, furry blanket was draped around Rogue's shoulders. Instantly she felt warmer, pulling it tighter around her. A second one, covered the first before a the small hand gently cupped one of Rogue's gloved ones. A little round object was placed into it, and she could feel the person standing up and backing away. _

_"An apple. Not much, but it is better than nothing. Try to sleep, my dear. It will be over soon." The cell door opened and shut again, and the lock clicked. _

_". . . Thank you." Rogue mumbled, covering her legs with the second fur blanket. _

_"Bonne nuit, petite fille."_

* * *

The skunk-haired girl opened her eyes again, stepping up closer to the feral. Her nostrils flared again, and she took in a deep breath. "You even smell the same way- like rain." she said. "Storm smells like rain, too- like a thunderstorm is coming."

Charles smiled again, amused. "Rogue has kept quite a few feral traits from Logan- sense of smell being one of them."

Zosia mirrored his expression, studying the girl in front of her. Where she had seemed scared a moment ago, now she was at ease, curiously reveling in a validated memory. She didn't look much like the poor, scared creature she had been at the lair, shivering in the cold cell Warts had tossed her in, but there was something to her scent that the feral couldn't quite put her finger on. It was something needy, perhaps, like the poor girl was lacking somewhere.

Before she could open her mouth to inquire further, Ororo opened the office door and stuck her head in. "Lunch is ready- the children are filing in now." she said with a smile. "Rogue, Jubilation and Bobby are looking for you."

"Thanks, Miss Monroe." said the teen, turning to follow the weather witch out into the hallway.

"Rogue." The professor said, watching her pause. "Including Jubilation and Bobby, I need you to promise to keep Zosia's past a secret. It wouldn't be good for any other students to know where she came from, or who Sari's father is. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir." she nodded. "I'll take it to my grave." She turned smiled, slipping from the room.

* * *

Like it? Love it? Tell me in a review!

The Lady Mage


	8. Chapter 8

Greetings from The Lady Mage!

This is the last chappie I already have all written out, so it will be a day or so before the next update!

Shoutouts: Jinx Of the 2nd Law! I remember you! I'm glad you remember this story, and that you're eager to read more! It's the people like you that make me want to sit up til 3AM and write, write, write, write! My little Zoe is only three now- in fact, she turned three in March! She's a little doll, and sometimes I wonder if she IS feral just because she seems to act like it . . . she's always pretending she's a lion. LOL Oh, and don't worry! This Zosia is DEFINITELY going to get to meet Logan! . . . but it's going to be closer to chapter 25 than to chapter 8. I have all that written out . . . it's just connecting them that I have to do. Fun, fun! Anyway, I am SO glad- like you have no idea how your review brightened my morning- that you loved the story, and I hope you love the whole rest of it, too! TTYL, Jinx!

Legalities: I promise you, I don't own them. I only own my original character- I have the poor man's copyright to prove it, too. Don't worry, I'll put Victor back in the box when I'm done! Promise. . . no, really . . . yes, seriously. . . why would I- Oh, go read the chapter already!

* * *

FERITY: (fehr-ih-tee) - (noun) - 1. The state of being wild, untamed. 2. Savagery; ferocity.

* * *

The Xavier Institute's dining room was twice as long as it was wide, with two dozen or so round tables spaced throughout the room. The buffet was to the right of the room, with a separate cooler full of cartons of milk, juice, and other things to drink. At the far end of the room was one long table and chairs, presumably for the teachers to sit at. It was Scott and Jean's turn to run to lunch line, so Ororo invited Zosia to sit at the corner of the long table next to her. Zosia silently watched all the mutant children sitting to eat, listening to them talk, joke, and laugh. Though most of them ignored her completely, a handful here and there were watching her just as closely as she watched them. All together, she estimated there to be at least 50, if not 60, children in the room.

Once the children were all given their ration of food, Jean and Scott brought a bowl of soup for Zoe, Ororo, and the professor along with their own trays.

"_Merci._" Zoe murmured, picking at the piece of toast given to her before Sari began to grunt for her own dinner. She shrugged aside her camisole beneath the sling, letting the cub nurse without anyone being the wiser.

Halfway through the meal, Xavier, after having listened in on the students' thoughts of the new girl sitting at the table, grabbed their attention with a tap of his spoon on Ororo's glass beside him. The room hushed, the children watching their Professor.

"Students," he began, "We have a guest with us." When the last of the whispers hushed, he gestured to the pretty feral sitting at his table. "This is Zosia Creed, and her daughter, Sari. They will be staying with us here, and I expect you all to treat her with the same respect you do your teachers, and your peers."

"Hello." a few voices said, here and there. Zosia picked out each face, meeting eyes and smiling gently. Now that they had a name to work with, the gentle rumble of voices became a little louder in the room. She could hear most of the conversations, but cared little for a lot of it. Mostly, she watched the room for Rogue. Once she spotted her, sitting at a table with a cute little Chinese girl, and two handsome boys- one a blonde, the other a brunette. They all had their food, and the girls were trying to act interested in whatever comic book the boys were trying to explain to them.

"Aren't you hungry?" Jean asked, breaking Zoe's eyes from the skunk-haired girl. "You haven't touched anything. You need to eat something if you're going to have any milk supply for Sari."

Without an answer, Zosia lifted her spoon to eat, taking a spoonful of soup into her mouth, swallowing quickly so as not to not taste it. She was unsuccessful, hiding her distaste. Warts would be looking for a dog or a potted plant nearby; she saw neither. Glancing to the windows on the far wall, she wondered if she could sneak out to hunt later.

"Is it that bad?" Professor Xavier smirked playfully, turning his head to look at her.

She barely blushed, setting her spoon down beside her bowl. "I'm sorry." she mumbled, looking down at the salty broth in her bowl. "I mean no offense . . . but this will not agree with my system . ."

Jean and Ororo lightly chuckled. "It's alright." said the telekine. "There's a whole fridge full of food in the kitchen. You're welcome to find something."

"Later, perhaps." said the feral, pushing the bowl away. She turned her attention down to the nursing baby in her sling. "_Maman peut attendre._ (Mama can wait.)"

"Professor?"

The five adults at the head table turned to look at the Chinese girl that had spoken. She had approached the teacher's table in near silence- quite a feat with the dozens of multi-coloured bangles on her arms and the large, dangling earrings in her ears. She brushed nonexistent crumbs from the front of her yellow jacket.

"Yes, Jubilation?" said the professor, smiling at her.

"You said-" she looked at Zosia with a smile. "-she had a daughter?" The professor nodded. "Well, like . . where?"

Zosia hid the scowl, watching the girl curiously. "She's here." she said cautiously. "A bit predisposed, but present none-the-less."

"Predisposed? Scott raised one eyebrow, glancing at the feral. Jean discreetly pinched his thigh.

"Huh?" Jubilation cocked her head to the side in confusion.

Zoe looked back down to her cub, holding her arms tighter around the sling she rested in. She shrugged the sling to the side off her shoulder just enough to reveal the one tiny clawed fist resting against her chest.

"Oh! You've got a baby!" The girl's voice was a light, delighted squeal. Several heads- mostly female- perked up around the room. "Oh, can I see? Please-please? I, like, love babies! They're so, like, cute!"

"Calm down, Jubes." Rogue said from their table with an amused smile.

"I am calm." said Jubilee. She made an exaggerated gesture to her now-exaggeratedly calm expression. "See? Calm. I just want to see it." The expression broke, and she beamed again, looking up to the feral mother. "Please?"

"I suppose I don't mind." Zoe said, watching her closely. "Though, you may want to give her a minute to finish her feeding."

"Tell me you don't mean that." Scott murmured from the other end of the table. She glanced down at him with a curious scowl. "You can't just expose yourself in front of the students!"

Zosia scowled at him. "I'm not exposed. I'm not naked; I'm nursing." When his ears turned red, she smirked. "What's the matter, my dear boy? You look a bit…flushed." His face- the visible part at least- was stoic, but his ears were inflamed.

"Scott, you can't see anything." Ororo commented to him, glancing at the girl's chest. "She's completely covered."

"Are you embarrassed, Scott?" Jean teased him gently, giving him a little prod in the ribs with her finger. He almost pouted, looking to her without speaking to her.

"Okay, so, like, coolies." Jubilee said, ignoring the blushing teacher. "Can I like, see the baby? Please? Pretty, pretty please?"

When the redheaded feral nodded, having not sensed anything dangerous about the girl, Jubilee hopped excitedly, and rounded the table on Zoe's side to see. Zosia pulled back the fabric of the sling enough that the girl could have a good look at the side of the cub's face against her breast. She ignored Scott's seeming glare, patiently letting the girl coo over the preoccupied cub, until she was finished, and excused herself back to her table.

"I think Sari is going to be a big distraction around here." commented Scott, watching the girls throughout the room. Most of their attention was on the baby still visible in Zoe's arms.

"Babies tend to be that." Zoe said quietly. She turned to look at Ororo. "Where is the kitchen, _mon_ 'Ro?"

Ororo smiled at her, pointing to a door along the far wall near the buffet. "Just through that door. Would you like some help?"

"I am capable, thank you." The pretty feral stood from her seat, pushing her chair in with the arm that wasn't supporting Sari. "If you will excuse me."

The kitchen was predominately blue, trimmed out with cabinets that matched the wood paneling throughout the rest of the school. The feral stood beside the island, her free hand resting on the cool counter top while she glanced around the room. Her stomach growled at her, spurring her to finally settle on looking in the fridge first; she pulled open the double doors. Mostly vegetables, milk, juice. She pulled open the meat drawers and was relieved to see several packages of chicken breast which, from the smell at least, seemed fresh.

She pulled one package out, ripped open the plastic covering, and quickly downed two of the chicken breasts, cold. They didn't taste as fresh as they had smelled, and she held in a grimace as she bit into the third one. It wasn't ideal, but it would fill her until she could find something better.

"Would you like that . . cooked?"

Zosia spun around with a growl. Ororo stood in the doorway with her empty bowl in her hands. She held her hands up in submission before turning to put her dirty dish in the sink.

"Or at least warmed up?" finished Ororo. "That can't possibly taste good."

"Well, you're right about that, I suppose." Zosia mumbled, finishing the third breast.

"I'm assuming you know better and that won't make you sick?"

"If I ate that soup, I would have felt sick." She settled the rest of the package of chicken on the counter top, letting the refrigerator door shut behind her. "I don't mean to sound picky. Just can't eat certain things." She watched the windrider pulling a frying pan down from a tall cabinet.

"Salt?"

"A touch."

Ororo put the pan on the stove, and let it heat there while she salted three of the remaining portions of meat. Zosia watched her from her perch on a stool as the white haired woman cooked her food for her.

* * *

_"I can't keep anything down." she mumbled miserably, resting her forehead on the cool metal of the table. "I've never felt sick like this before."_

_"Well, you've never been knocked up before. Have you tried to eat today?" Mystique asked, gently rubbing the girl's back._

_"No."_

_The metamorph rolled her eyes, turning back to the little refrigerator. "Well, you're going to have to try. You need to eat something." She pulled a package of ham-steak from the meat drawer and tossed it on the counter, making quick work of tossing some in a pan on the stove._

_"_Kümmern Sie sich nicht, meine Schwester._ (Don't bother, my Sister.)" _

_Mystique snorted. "_Du wirst das essen, und ihr werdet es mögen, Katze._ (You're going to eat it, and you're going to like it, Cat.)" she teased. "_Jemand muss sich um Sie kümmern, während er auf die Jagd gegangen ist._ Guess it's me. (Someone has to take care of you while he's out hunting.)" _

_"_Danke, meine Shwester._" said the feral, watching her blue-scaled sibling prepare food for her._

* * *

After a few minutes, while the chicken was warmed through but still quite rare, Ororo slid them onto a plate before placing them in front of the feral girl. "There," she said, pulling a fork from the silverware drawer. "That has to taste better than straight from the icebox."

"_Danke, meine_ 'Ro." Zosia said softly, cutting a piece of meat with her fork. "You did not have to go to such trouble for me. I appreciate it. Greatly."

"It's no problem." Ororo returned, coming to sit beside her. She hooked one finger on the edge of the sling, looking down at the cub inside it, fast asleep.

Zoe pulled her camisole back into place, setting down her fork. Gently, she lifted the cub from the sling, and settled her against the windrider's chest. Ororo, pleased, cuddled her, while Zosia quickly finished her plate.

"She's so tiny." commented Ororo.

"She's only a week old." Zosia said, lightly scowling.

"Well, yes," the woman chuckled, "I know that. Perhaps I've just never held one so young."

The feral shrugged, opening her mouth to say something more just as Jean and Scott entered the room. With a scowl, she pulled Sari back into her arms and tucked her into the sling. Jean raised one eyebrow at them, opening one of the three big dishwashers and setting her bowl inside it. Scott ignored the feral, mimicking the telekine with the second dishwasher. Ororo took Zoe's plate and put it in the last one, leaving them open as all the children began to file in to put their dirty dishes away.

Uncomfortable with the stream of new mutants, Zosia quickly retreated out the kitchen door and back into the hallway. She was halfway up the first flight of stairs when she heard Rogue's voice call out to her.

"Zoe?"

She paused, turning to look over the railing. Rogue and Jubilee stood with another girl their age at the bottom of the stairs. Rogue seemed almost unsure, but Jubilee and the other girl were only curious as they watched her.

"Yes, Rogue?"

"Hey, um, later on we're going to watch a movie in the rec room. . Do you want . . to come with us?" said the southern girl shyly. "They let us rent movies on the weekend. We got the new 'Alice In Wonderland'."

"We're going to go get our magazine on first." said Jubilee. "And I got the coolest new yellow nail polish. It is a-dor-able! Want some?"

Zoe almost smiled, but settled on a light smirk instead. "Perhaps later, girls. I'm afraid my daughter needs tending to first. Thank you for the invitation."

"No problem!" said the last girl, a brunette. "See you later, then." She grabbed Jubilee's jacket sleeve and tugged. "Now come on- you said you'd do my hair if I did your toenails!" The three girls turned, hurrying off around the corner, talking about nail polish colours.

The feral turned back to the stairs, quickly making her way back up to her room to retrieve a fresh diaper for Sari. The baby was quickly changed and settled down in between the pillows for a little nap while her mother went back to her leather satchel. She prized a black velvet bag from what was left inside it, holding a glittery, midnight-blue touchscreen satellite phone. She clicked it on, then scowled at the pop-up on its screen.

'You have 13 missed calls. 0 Unknown. You have 27 new text messages.'

"Oh, yay." she rolled her eyes, pulling a plain lime green spaghetti strap tank from her bag. Her red camisole was dropped to the floor beside the bathroom door, and she quickly changed into the tank. She settled on the bed beside Sari, and scrolled through the text messages. Most of them were composed by Victor, asking what the hell had happened that morning, who had touched her, threatening whomever had touched her, and complaining about falling from his tree. She hid an amused smile. The last text message on the bottom was from a different number. She opened it with a scowl.

'_Zee, it's Mystique. Are you alive?_'

Eyes wide, she began to text back that yes, of course she was alive, and where are you? But she stopped herself. She didn't know the number, even if she knew the name, and it wouldn't do to compromise herself by sending a text to someone she didn't know. What if it were humans on the other side? With a disheartened pout, she deleted the text. She hoped it was her sister, and that she was safe and sound somewhere, but she just couldn't trust an unknown number.

She shook the thoughts from her head, scrolling through the rest of Victor's angry and startled messages. Almost amused, she quickly typed up a txt and sent it away into cyberspace.

*'_Ne prétendez pas que vous ne l'aimez pas, mon amant_.'* (Don't pretend you didn't like it, my lover.)

* * *

_*__**Ride- Dirty, sweet, and filthy- Ride- Beat your hands on me- Ride- Dirty, sweet, and filthy-**__*_

The truck swerved on the interstate when his phone rang loudly in his pocket. With a curse, he straightened out before the semi beside him could clip his shitty truck. He pulled the phone from his pocket, flipping it open and pulling it to his ear. "Hello? Zee? . . Zee?" He pulled it away, looking at the screen and the little white envelope with wings flashing on the screen.

He smirked, reading what she'd written to him. Using his knee to drive, he quickly sent a message back to her.

* * *

_*__**Kiss me, ki-ki-kiss me- Infect me with your lovin- Fill me with your poison- Take me, ta-ta-take me- Wanna be a victim- Ready for abduction- Boy, you're an alien- Your touch so foreign- It's supernatural- Extraterrestrial**__*_

Zosia lifted her phone up to see the screen, sliding down to lay beside her daughter on the bed. She tapped the little winged envelope with one sharp claw-tip. As soon as the text loaded up, she heard footsteps in the hallway, and shoved the phone under her pillow out of sight. There was a soft knock on the door.

She could smell her before she heard her voice.

"Zosia?" Rogue's voice was soft, hesitant, unsure. She knocked softly again.

"Come in, Rogue." she called loud enough for the mutant to hear her.

The glass doorknob turned, clicked, and the door was gently pushed open enough for Rogue to slip in. She pushed the door to close, but left it unlatched. Finally, the young mutant looked up at her. "Hi."

Zoe sat up fluidly on the bed, watching the girl momentarily tense at her action. "Hello, Rogue." she returned. "Can I help you?"

"I, um . ." The girl glanced around the room briefly before meeting the feral's eyes again. "Ah jus' wanted ta talk. Maybe. If you want ta." she said quickly.

The feral smiled, gesturing for the girl to sit at the end of the bed. "Talk about what, _chère_?"

"I just wanted to know about . . . well, what you know about that night . . at Ellis Island." said the girl, coming and carefully sitting on the end of the bed.

"I don't know much about it, _amoureux_." Zosia pulled one knee up and rested her chin on it. "I knew a little about the machine- I talked to Warts several times when he was painting it. Mystique told me some when I asked, but she was always very vague about it. Victor told me its purpose, but I never knew what _mein Lehrer_ wanted with you." She watched the girl nervously wringing her hands. "Victor just came to me a few weeks ago saying he had to go to Canada for a week to hunt down an old friend and a girl with poisonous skin."

"An old friend? Logan?"

"I don't know, my dear." She paused. "They brought you back home later, and Warts put you in the darkest, coldest room he could find." She paused again, glancing down at the sleeping cub beside her. "I was preoccupied, as I said, with this little one. She is why they didn't tell me much- to protect us."

"Magneto . . he was worried about you and Sari." Rogue said, watching the baby's chest rise and fall as she slept. "And Mystique, too. When he touched me, I could feel it." She put her gloved fingers to her temples. "It's strange the way he thinks."

"How much of him did you absorb? How do you do it?" Zoe asked, sitting up, curious. "Is your skin really poisoned?"

"I don't know." Rogue blushed, hiding her hands in her lap. "People just touch my skin and something happens. They just get hurt. I pull them into me somehow."

"How much of him do you have?"

"I don't know." repeated the teen. "A lot. A lot more than any of the other boys- well, except Logan."

"Can you see all his memories?"

"A lot of them, I think. I don't know. Why?"

"_Ich bin einfach neugierig_. (I'm just curious.)" Zoe answered nonchalantly.

"_Nun, ich weiß es nicht. Er ließ von go-_ (Well, I don't know. He let go-)" Rogue clapped her hands over her mouth, wide-eyed. Zosia smirked amusedly at her. "_Wie habe ich das tun?_ (How did I do that?)" Her eyes widened further. "_Was ist los? Ich kann nicht Deutsch sprechen!_ (What's going on? I can't speak German!)"

"_Klingt für mich wie du kannst._ (Sounds to me like you can.)" Zoe said, her smirk widening to a smile.

"Aber . . . Where did that come from?"

"Erik was fluent." said the feral. "It seems you've pulled that much from him." She chuckled at the girl's surprise. "_Parlez-vous français?_ (Do you speak French?)" Rogue just shook her head, buttoning her lip. "_Mais vous pouvez me comprendre?_ (But you can understand me?)" The teen nodded once. "Interesting, _mon fille_. Very interesting. What a wonderful gift you have."

"He taught you German, didn't he." said Rogue.

"They kind of all did, really." Zosia shrugged. "Mystique and Eric mainly. Victor didn't want too much to do with me at first. Probably was feeling me out before he decided what he wanted." She snorted. "If I hadn't made the first move, he probably would have moved on before anything ever happened."

"What did-"

_*__**Kiss me, ki-ki-kiss me- Infect me with your lovin- Fill me with your poison- Take me, ta-ta-take me- Wanna be a victim- Ready for abduction- Boy, you're an alien- Your touch so foreign- It's supernatural- Extraterrestrial**__*_

"Shit." Zosia winced, quickly pulling the phone from beneath the pillows. Two clicks of her claw, and it was silenced. She glanced up at the teen, her expression a little guilty. "Think you can keep a secret for me?"

"Uh . . I don't know. What secret?"

"Don't tell them I have a phone. I think that Scooter would probably have a conniption fit." she answered softly. "It is a fight I don't want, and I know that at least Red-eye would have something to say about it." She rolled her eyes.

"Are you talking to Magneto?" asked Rogue, wide-eyed.

"Erik is in prison, my dear, last I heard." said the feral.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot."

"Mystique is still MIA. Warts didn't make it. No body, but he would have gone back home, and he never came." She smiled sadly. "The only reason I believe Myst to be alive is because she's too damn stubborn to die. We just don't know where she is."

"Then you talk to Sabretooth." Rogue said, eyes wide.

"He's my mate." said Zoe with a little shrug. "He is Sari's father. I couldn't _not_ talk to him."

"But what if he comes here?" asked the teen, her heartbeat speeding up. "To the school? All the kids-"

Zoe scowled with a short grunt. "He was here yesterday with me, and the world didn't end." she said. There was a slight edge to her voice that silenced the teenager. "Look through the memories you have of Eric's. He isn't a danger unprovoked, and certainly not around me, and for damn sure not towards _mutant_ children here!"

Rogue settled down. "I'm sorry- I'm not trying to be offensive."

"I get it- he's a monster sometimes." shrugged the feral, "But he's my monster, and he won't do anything with me or the cub around." She checked the new text, then quickly responded before shoving the phone back underneath her pillow. She met Rogue's brown eyes with her own midnight blues. "I'm sorry for what they did to you- truly, I am." she said. "But you have nothing to fear from Victor and I- I won't let him hurt you. I promise."

The teen nodded once, but didn't comment. Instead, she let her eyes rove over the room, never having been on the third floor before. The rooms upstairs were bigger than those downstairs, and had bigger beds, too. Her eyes rested on the desk. "I had an IPOD like that before I ran away." said the teen, standing up and picking it up off the desk. "Mine was green though."

"What happened to it?"

"This guy I was hitching a ride from stole it." said the teen, her lip curled. "He told me it was payment for him driving me to the next town." She shrugged. "I didn't have much on it anyway."

"Why did you run away, _chere_?"

Rogue frowned sadly. "I . . I hurt two boys . . put them in the hospital." she said quietly. "After that . . people started to treat me differently. I couldn't take it, and I was afraid I would hurt someone else, so I just left."

"Humans can be despicable creatures, can't they." commented the feral. "Well, I suppose that can't be helped. You are lucky to have found a place like this to stay. From what I have heard of Professor Xavier, he is a good man."

"Yes, he is." said the teen, setting the IPOD down. "Well, I guess I better go before Kitty and Jubes come searching for me."

"Alright then,_ chere_." said Zoe with a friendly smile. "I will talk to you more later, _non_?"

* * *

_"Hurry up, Vic." she said, her voice husky, as she walked from the kitchen down to the basement steps. Everything was in slow motion, blurred, as she descended the steps to the finished basement. She walked to the single support column in the center of the barren room. It was dark cherry wood, and cool beneath her fingertips as she ran them along it. _

_He was saying something to her- something unintelligible, muffled. She couldn't distinguish his location, but it didn't bother her. He sounded nearby, so she knew she was safe._

_She rounded the column, breathing in the heady, metallic scent of blood as it slowly dripped from his victim. The human was hanging upside down, stripped naked, hung by one leg to the column, a gash on his head and neck dripping blood onto the cream-coloured carpet._

*Drip. *Drip. *Drip.

_She watched him take in a shuddering breath, struggling to breathe. His heartbeat was weak, but there. Every beat was more of a struggle than the last. Her eyes lifted from his battered head, up his neck, up his chest, to his stomach. She smiled._

_Across his bloodied gut, her lion had carved her name with his claws. _

_'_ZOE'

_"Victor?" she called for him again, turning her head to look around the big, empty room. "Where could he be?" It felt like there was lag between her head moving and her vision. "Is this what it feels like to be drunk?" Her vision swam again, making her dizzy and nauseous.  
_

_The soon-to-be corpse rasped one last time, drawing her attention back to it. She crouched down in front of it, reaching out with one claw to puncture its windpipe. Her love was such a messy killer sometimes._

_It's hand snapped up, grabbing, clenching on her wrist._

* * *

The feral awoke with a hard jolt, a growl bubbling up through her lips. "The fuck?"

"Oh, sorry!"

Zoe's head jerked to the doorway. Ororo was standing just inside the now-open doorway, hands clutched against her chest in surprise. She turned to leave.

"No, wait." Zoe said, catching her breath, sitting up. "Don't go."

The windrider turned back to the feral. "I didn't mean to wake you." she said.

"It's okay. Come in."

"Sorry I startled you."

She turned to look down at the cub next to her. The baby was awake, eyes open and black, laying still and quiet. Ashamed, she laid back down, cuddling the cub to her with a gentle purr. "_Mon petite ange._"

Ororo quietly approached the bed, settling down near Zoe's feet, watching the feral cub yawn against her mother. "You didn't sleep much last night, did you." she said to the mother. "Even after I came in here."

"_Non, mon moka_." said Zoe, meeting her eyes. "Lay with me?"

"Do you need another nap?" asked the windrider with a playful smile.

"_Non, mon moka_." she murmured, laying her head down on the soft pillow. "Just company." She watched as the white-haired woman slid up the bed, stretching out until she was laying one Sari's other side. "Better."

Ororo chuckled, turning her eyes down to the cub. After one quick glance back to Zoe, briefly meeting her eyes, she reached out and held one tiny clawed hand. The little fingers instinctively gripped the tip of her finger, holding on tightly. "What cute little hands you have, kitten." She ran her thumb across the tiny digits. "Was your _Maman_ having another nightmare, Sari?" she asked lightly.

"Perhaps." answered the feral. "But not the same as this morning." She closed her eyes, relaxing into the pillow. "Victor was taking care of a mark, and I couldn't find him- only the body." She smiled without opening her eyes. "He'd carved my name into its skin."

"A mark?" Ororo's eyes widened, her tone of voice enough to gather Zoe's full attention.

"Oh, calm down." the feral rolled her eyes. "It was a dream- not a memory. I rarely ever went with him on business. He works better alone, and I was a bigger help to Mystique."

"Have you killed many people?"

"Have you?"

"That's not an answer."

"Neither was that." She smirked. "Does it really matter right now, _chere_? I've not hurt you yet." The windrider shrugged. Zoe sighed. "That I am aware of, seven. All men, and all guilty and very much deserving of death." She closed her eyes again, relaxing into the pillows. "Victor was the mercenary- I . . . watched a few, but hardly ever helped him."

"Help him how?"

She snorted. "Must we speak so morbidly?"

"You're the one doing the talking."

"You asked. Don't ask questions that you don't want answered." she chuckled lightly, shifting into a more comfortable position on her back. "Have you never killed anyone? You've been doing this x-man thing for a very long time."

"Just one." answered the windrider, petting the cub's hair. "And it was out of necessity."

"You think mine were not?"

". . I don't know."

"Well, at least you aren't quick to judge." deadpanned the feral. "I don't kill for pleasure."

"That's good."

She snorted. "I'm not that dangerous, _chere_. Only a _little bit_ vicious." She pinched the air in front of her with a wink.

The windrider chuckled. "Well, so long as it is only a little bit." She sat up, propped on one arm, still exploring the tiny cub. "Anyway, I came up here to see if you wanted to come down for dinner. Then, after dinner, the older children have rented a couple of movies to watch if you like."

"What's on the menu?"

"Pizza from town. Jean and Scott are on their way back with it all." She glanced at the feral laying beside her. The little star-shaped scars were peeking from beneath the girl's lime green top. Curious, she reached out and lifted the bottom edge of the tank.

The feral's eyes snapped open, looking at the windrider in surprise. "Hmm?"

"Just looking at your side." said Ororo, surprised at her own boldness. "We didn't see them very well last night."

Shrugging, Zoe shifted to the side and pulled her tank up to under her bust. She hooked one thumb into the hem of her jeans and pushed them down to reveal the bottom star. Each one was nearly perfect, the little raised lines a shade lighter than her already light skintone. "Just stars."

"Pretty." said Ororo, running her fingers over one. The feral jumped, and she jerked her hand away. "Sorry!"

"Ticklish." said the redhead with a chuckle. She twisted, looking at the top star. "I'll need another one soon."

"How do you do it?"

"Eric made a metal star for me."

* * *

_"Eric?" she said quietly, leaning against the doorjamb into his private study. "_Mein Lehrer_?" _

_Eric Lehnsher sat at his desk, a very worn book open in his hands, reading by the light of the little lamp beside him. He tucked a scrap piece of paper into the book to mark his page, then settled it on the desktop before turning his attention to his newest follower. He gave her a fatherly smile. "Yes, my dear?"_

_She returned his smile, standing straight before slinking into the room, coming around the desk to be at his side. She settled down on the floor, sitting cross legged where she could lean her head against his knee- a strange habit she had adopted in the few months she had been with them. Victor had mentioned it was a submissive gesture, allowing him to be the dominant. _

_"_Mein Lehrer,_" she murmured again, turning her eyes up to meet his. "_Ich bin gekommen, um um einen Gefallen bitten._ (I've come to ask for a favor.)"_

_"Oh? _Was zugunsten würde das sein?_ (What would that be?)" he returned, reaching down one hand and running it over her red hair. She tilted her head towards him, her eyes bright in the lamplight._

_"_Wirst du mich Schimmel ein Stern?_ (Would you mold me a star?)" she asked._

_"_Ein Stern?_" He asked curiously. "_Warum?_"_

_Her eyes darkened enough that he could no longer make out her pupils in the deep blue. Her eyebrows drew closer. "_Es wurde im Jahr._ (It's been a year.)" she began, leaning her head back down where he could not see her eyes. She rubbed her cheek against his knee. "_Ich möchte einen kleinen Stern._ (I want a little star.)"_

_"_Was zu tun?_ (To do what?)"_

_"_Um Marke meiner Haut. Zu erinnern._ (To brand my skin. To remember.)" she answered quietly. "_Das erste, was ich mich erinnern kann ist ein Stern. Als ich aufwachte, war es dunkel und die Sterne wurden. Ich legte dort beobachtete sie, bis die Sonne aufging. Es bedeutet mir etwas, mein Lehrer._ (The first thing I can remember is a star. When I woke up, it was dark, and the stars were out. I laid there watching them until the sun rose. It means something to me, my teacher.)"_

_"_Wird es nicht nur heilen vorbei?_ (Won't it just heal over?)"_

_"_Ich werde nicht zu lassen._ (I won't let it.)"_

_Mentally, he shrugged, reaching out to the seven round ball bearings ticking back and forth across the front of his desk. One of them left formation, floating into his hand. With just a thought, the ball changed in his hand, taking on the outline of a perfect, five-pointed star. He made it perfectly smooth, then used the leftover metal to fashion a short handle coming from the back of it. Plucking it from the air, he held it out to his feral pupil. "_Hier ist dein Stern, mein Lieber._ (Here is your star, my dear.)" _

_"_Danke, mein Lehrer!_" she smiled up at him, turning it over in her hands. He returned her smile, patting her head before she stood up and slunk back to the doorway with a quiet 'Good Night'._

* * *

"Mystique went out into the woods with me that night. We lit a fire, and put the star in it to get hot. I think we left it for about a half hour." said the feral. "Then, I showed her where I wanted it, she got it out of the fire with a pair of tongs, then held it down on me until I couldn't stand it any more." The feral absently rubbed the bottom star. "Quite painful, really, but worth it. To me, at least." She half-groaned. "I bit through the stick- pulled splinters from my mouth for an hour afterwards. Not fun."

"I bet. How do you make it stay? When Logan was hurt, he always just healed. Automatically." Ororo questioned, crossing her legs on the bed.

"I don't know." Zoe shrugged. "I just . . do. It seems the more I bleed, the greater the injury, the easier it stays." She pointed to the second star. "This one, I bled buckets. It looked like someone had mauled my hip. It stayed a lot easier. I don't really have to think about them now. Only had to redo the first one three times before I got it down."

"Ouch."

"Pain only lasts a short while." shrugged the feral.

With the bedroom door open, even the weather witch could hear the giant oaken doors pushed open, and the sound of multiple children rushing to it. Jean and Scott were back, apparently, and with food for the children in tow.

"Hungry?" asked Ororo.

"Sure." said the feral, sitting up. She pulled the cub into her arms, returning her sling to her shoulder and settling the baby inside it. Sari hardly stirred, barely scrunching her eyes before relaxing into the warm sling.

Downstairs, Scott and Jean had taken the tall stacks of pizza boxes into the big common room, and Scott was carefully monitoring the students as they filed up in line for their portions. Xavier was sitting in his chair next to the make-shift pool-turned-buffet table, taking in the whole room and the children within it. Across the room, standing in front of the bigger television, was Jean, fiddling with a DVD case. The screen behind her was blue, waiting for someone to push play.

"Here you go." Ororo handed Zoe a paper plate with two slices of pepperoni pizza on it. "There's soda in the coolers beside the professor. I've got to help with the children."

The feral only nodded, looking down at the grease-slicked cheese on her plate with a curled lip. She spied a younger boy in line, waiting for his plate with the others, and held her's out to him. "Hungry, little snake?" she asked as an offering.

He looked at her with suspicious eyes for a few seconds before taking the plate and running back to his group of friends waiting for him on the floor in front of the tv. Settled, he turned back to her and stuck his tongue- black and forked- out at her, then smiled her way. She only winked before turning to slink out of the room.

'_Much too many children in here._'

In the hallway, she ran the pads of her fingers over the wood paneling as she casually meandered along, listening to the room full of mutants behind her. Children were excited about seeing whatever movie it was that Jean was about to turn on for them; the telekine was taking too long to start the show; the pizza wasn't hot enough; the drinks weren't cold enough. The feral shook her head, rounding the staircase.

"Not going to eat?"

Zosia paused, turning to face the professor. He rolled down the hall after her, pausing in front of the redheaded feral with a friendly smile on his mouth.

"I'm not hungry." she lied.

"You don't care much for pizza." he said, amused.

"I don't care much for a lot of human food." she returned. "I'm sorry."

"It is quite all right. You won't be the first student we've had here that had special dietary needs."

She cocked her head to the side a touch. "Student? Me?"

"You should take advantage of the environment while you're here." he said encouragingly. "You don't remember your past; we may fill in a few gaps you did not know were missing."

"I will consider it."

"It also would help keep the rumor mill at bay." he said, tapping his temple with his index finger. "The students are already wondering how old your are, where you are from, wondering about the baby, and so on. I think we should, perhaps, come up with a back-story for you."

The feral put one hand on her hip, rolling her eyes. "I'm a seventeen year old runaway from New York City, and my daughter's father died in a car crash before he even knew I was pregnant. I was dropped off here by a nice, old mutant that knew about this place." she said with a pout, her voice convincing. She paused with a smirk. "Good enough?"

"For now."

"For now is all I'm concerned about. This isn't a forever thing."

He smiled again. "Of course." He sounded like he was trying to convince a child of the existence of Santa Claus.

She scowled. "He _will_ come back for me." she half-hissed. "And even if he didn't, I would seek him out myself." The professor only nodded. "I'm not some easy lay for him that he allowed to birth a cub. I'm his mate." She rolled her eyes, clenching her fists and turning around to walk off. "But think what you want- I don't have to prove a damn thing to you about him." She felt her mind wander to where her mate would be. She froze, glaring at him over her shoulder. "Out, telepath."

The professor only nodded, pulling his psyche back. With a parting smile, he turned and rolled back to the room of children.

The feral snorted. "Mind-raping mother fuc-"

"There you are." Ororo said, holding a plate of pizza and a can of soda for herself. She took in the girl's agitated state with a concerned expression. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." answered the feral, shaking her anger off with a roll of her shoulders. "Just fine."

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"No, my dear." Zoe shook her head, offering the windrider a sweet smile. "But thank you anyway."

"You should eat something, Zee." Ororo scowled. "Would you like more chicken?"

Zoe shook her head. "I'm fine. Really." she said, running her hand down the windrider's arm with another smile. "I'll get something later. Aren't you going to watch the movie with the children?"

"Not tonight." answered Ororo. "I've little interest in Johnny Depp. I'm going to the library. Care to join me?"

"Sure,_ mon moka_."

Around the staircase, and back towards the cafeteria, Ororo lead Zosia into the grand library. This library, unlike the smaller one near the rec room, was frequently used; Zoe could smell dozens of young mutants all over the room, the scents nearly drowning out the pleasant smell of aged leather and old ink. Behind the last long bookshelf, there was a dark brown leather couch and chair settled in front of a cherry-wood coffee table. In the corner was a metal cart with wheels, housing a 27inch television set and a small DVD player.

"We use this when we have educational videos for the children to watch in class." Ororo said, picking up the little silver remote off the top of the cart. She settled her plate of pizza down on the coffee table, then clicked the tv on. She looked back at Zoe. "Well, come sit down."

The feral nodded once, rounding the couch to settle in the corner. She curled her legs up beneath her, cuddling Sari through her sling. Ororo sat beside her, and scrolled through the channels until she found some random, made-for-tv movie .

They sat in silence, watching the program while Ororo ate. Zosia, bored, rested her chin on her palm, propped on the arm of the couch. Finally, she let out a sigh. "How in the world do you frails stand to watch this crap?" she asked quietly, turning her head to look at the windrider. "If I caught my husband cheating on me, I'd slit his throat!"

". . . Wouldn't it just heal back?"

"Well, yes. . . But I'd feel loads better." said Zoe with a shrug. Ororo snorted, holding in her chuckle, giving the feral an amused look. "Oh, hush. You know what I meant."

Ororo held the remote out to the redhead. "Change it if you like. I'm not terribly interested in this. I'm sure I've seen it before. It sounds familiar."

"Because all these stupid chick-flicks are the same! Husband and wife seem happy, move to subburbs, wife gets pregnant, sex drive plummets, husband hits on wife's b-f-f, starts cheating on her. Baby is born, then it all comes out and everyone cries- then the stupid bitch takes his ass back so they can be a family." Zoe rolled her eyes. "When, really, it should be husband and wife move to the subburbs, wife gets knocked up, sex drive the same or better, husband is a dick and cheats, wife takes kid, leaves, and gets child support."

"Well, they're not all that bad, but yeah, I'd say that was a fair statement." said Ororo with a laugh.

"I don't understand humans. Hell, until I was about a week from delivering, I couldn't get enough of Victor." She rolled her eyes. "Eric sent him up to Canada- he was gone for almost a week. Torture!"

Ororo chuckled. "I bet."

"It wasn't until after she was born that I lost interest, but I think it was more from worry than anything. All of a sudden, I had Sari, and Victor and Mystique were too busy to help me much. I floundered for a day or so." the feral glanced at Ororo. "I didn't- don't- remember babies or what they are like or what they need."

"At all?"

"Well, I'd seen them on tvs, and occasionally in town when we would go for supplies, but then they were only in passing. I rarely heard one cry or make any noise outside of the families. I'd played with a few children once at a playground in Ottawa." She smirked. "Before Victor and Warts came and scared them all off. Victor didn't even mean to- but Warts couldn't resist."

"Couldn't resists, huh?"

"He was an asshole, but he was still my brother." Zoe shrugged again.

"Your brother?"

"Adopted." the redhead smiled, amused.

"Is everyone so close in the Brotherhood?"

"Not everyone. There are several family groups- clans or villages- that are like that. The biggest group is in Germany. They're the ones we went to see the most. I think there are about a hundred of them all together, if you count the children." Her smile turned sentimental.

"Where in Germany?" asked Ororo.

Zosia met her eyes, then shook her head. "I won't tell." she simply said. "I won't compromise their anonymity."

Ororo tipped her head. "Fair enough. I can see where they wouldn't necessarily want people to know of their existence."

"Then a change of topic is in order." said the feral. "I am almost out of diapers. You said we could run to town for supplies?"

"It's a little late now, don't you think?"

"It's only eight-thirty." the feral lightly scowled. "I could go alone, if need be."

"No, we can take you. Do you have to go tonight, or can it wait until in the morning?"

"It can wait until morning. I have a few cloth diapers with me as well- I'll use those overnight." Sari stirred in her sling, her little face scrunching up as she geared up for a cry. "Speaking of diaper, I believe someone needs a new one." Lifting Sari from the sling she'd been cuddled in, the feral stood from the couch.

Ororo picked up her plate and empty soda can, and followed the redhead from the room, pausing only to turn the tv off. "Do you need anything besides diapers from town?"

"A few things here and there. Not much." returned Zoe, waiting for Ororo to throw her plate away in the trash bag set up by the rec room before leading her upstairs. "I'd love to get some soap- shampoo and the like."

Inside Zosia's room, Sari was quickly changed into a clean diaper. Clean and dry, she hushed her cries, and instead, lay quietly, her little eyes trying to focus on things near to her. Ororo sat beside her on the bed, taking the tiny feral's attention while Zoe disposed of the used diaper.

"Hello, little kitten." Ororo cooed down at the cub, holding her little clawed hand between her thumb and forefinger, then moved it to gently smooth the babe's hair back. "That feels better, doesn't it?" Sari watched her silently, her eyes locked on to Ororo's.

Zoe watched the two in silence, pausing in the bathroom door to observe her cub and the weather witch. The cub wasn't afraid, just quietly observing the woman paying her attention. Ororo was respectfully careful, as if she understood the overprotective urges coursing through the feral mother. She was close enough to play with the cub, but not so close that she was threatening.

The teeny baby finally opened her mouth with a soft sigh, squirming towards the hand petting her hair. The redheaded mother smiled. "She wants you to hold her." she said to the weather witch.

The darker-skinned woman looked up at her. "May I?"

"Yeah, go ahead." said Zoe, taking a seat in the rocking chair. She watched Ororo carefully scoop the baby up into her arms and cuddle Sari to her chest. The baby relaxed, content, and let her eyes close. "Is there anywhere around here to shop?"

"The Jefferson Mall is only a half hour away. Sometimes we take the older children out there on trips." answered Ororo. "But there are a handful of smaller stores around here that would probably have whatever you need. If you gave Scott a list, he could even go for you when he goes for the school's supplies."

"I may do that then."

"I'm sure he won't mind- he does it for the others now and then when an emergency comes along. I'd say lack of diapers could qualify as an emergency." chuckled the woman, continuing to pet the cub's hair back.

Zoe only nodded, bringing one leg up against her stomach, resting the heel of her foot on the edge of the chair's seat. She wrapped her arms around her leg, and leaned her temple against her knee with a yawn.

"Sleepy again?" Ororo sounded amused. "You've had a nap."

"Victor and I walked for two days straight to get here without leaving a trail." murmured the feral. "Which normally would not have even winded me, but with Sari . . . it's catching up with me, I fear."

"Well, don't let me keep you up." said the windrider. "I'll go back downstairs with the children. It's time to send the youngest off to bed anyways."

"You're not bothering me, weather witch." murmured Zoe, her eyes closed. "In fact, strangely enough, your presence is rather calming, I find."

"You only met me yesterday."

"I said strangely enough." Zoe opened her eyes long enough to check on her cub in Ororo's arms, then let them slide closed again. "I've learned not to question instinct. At least, not much. Either way, I'm not sending you off."

"No, but still." Ororo stood, the feral cub still in her arms. Zosia's eyes, pitch-black, watching her as she moved, startled her. "Must you do that?" Zoe only raised one eyebrow at her, relaxing back into the chair, but still keeping dark eyes on the weather witch. "I'm not trying to run off with Sari."

"I can't help it." Zoe shrugged, blinking the blackness away. "Thank you for the jolt, though. That will keep me up another hour or so." She popped her jaw, retracting the fangs back into her gums. "I hate going to bed so early in the evening."

The white-haired woman brought the cub over to its mother, gently holding her out for Zoe to take. "Here you go, Zee. I really must go help Jean and Scott with the children."

"Alright." said the feral with a detached shrug, taking her cub and rocking her in the chair as she watched Ororo quietly exit the room. "There goes my good night . . ."

* * *

Like it? Love it? Tell me in a review!

Victor's ringtone for Zoe is 'Ride' by Rob Zombie, and Zoe's ringtone for Victor is 'E.T.' by Katy Perry, featuring Kanye West. If you haven't heard either of these songs, consider them your homework for the evening because they are both awesome!

The Lady Mage


	9. Chapter 9

Greetings and Welcome from The Lady Mage!

Sorry that this chapter took so long to get out here- I have had a LOT going on. New man in my life to keep me happy and occupied . . . and he's so feral I'd swear that mutants were real . . . *swoon* There's nothing like someone really biting your neck and growling at you while you . . . Um, anyway, yeah. That, and I've been going blind in one eye and trying to figure out why. MRI's are so much fun-not. So, sorry to have kept you waiting!

Shoutout to my BFF, Leonaria, for helping me with wording and personalities! I love you, sugar!

The Lady Mage

And of the legalities: . . . If I owned him, I wouldn't share. But I don't, so . . . damnit all, I still don't want to share . . .

* * *

_"_. . . ring around the rosie . . . a pocket full of posies . . . ashes, ashes . . . we all . . fall . . down . . ._"_

_She wasn't sure where the soft voice was coming from, or what it was singing, but the tune seemed to seep into her psyche, rousing her._

_"_ . . . ring around the rosie . . . a pocket full of posies . . . ashes, ashes . . . we all . . fall . . down . . ._" A soft giggle. Young._

_Why wouldn't her eyes open? _

_"_Pocket full of posies . . . ashes, ashes . . . we . . all . . fall . . down . . ._"_

_She tried to move her arms, but they felt as though they weighed a thousand pounds. She tried to move her legs with the same results. She couldn't turn her neck, or open her eyes. All she could do was lay still, and listen._

_"_Ashes . . . ashes . . . we all fall . . . down . . ._ " _

_Panic was beginning to flood her senses. Why couldn't she move? She felt no restraints- she could feel no damage to her spine. What was holding her down? What kept her eyes from opening? She channeled all her energy to her eyes. _

_"_We all fall down . . ._"_

_With a jerk, her eyelids came free, blinking open. _

_The regen fluid stung her eyes- burned them- as they darted back and forth across the medical room. The panic was swiftly beginning to overwhelm her, and she struggled harder, gaining control of her arms. She had to get out- escape! She couldn't stay in this test tube any longer!_

_She lifted one heavy, uncoordinated arm, and smashed it through the glass._

* * *

For the second time, Zosia jerked awake in bed, a lioness's roar echoing in her ears. She couldn't help breathing hard, panicked eyes taking in the dark shadows of her room before turning to the startled cub beside her. This time, Sari didn't cry- just lay frozen, her tiny eyes black and her little claws extended- sharp.

The feral mother quickly purred, pulling her cub into her arms to soothe. Again her door was nearly knocked from her hinges as Scott burst in- dressed in only a pair of white boxers with little red hearts printed on them, and mismatched blue and black socks, his red glasses hanging haphazardly from the bridge of his nose. Behind him was Jean, a robe tied tightly around her. Zoe could smell the reason for their undress, and it only further agitated her.

"What the holy heck?" Scott demanded. Zosia only hissed at him, a low warning growl rumbling up her throat. With the light from the hallway, he watched her eyes bleed black. It gave him a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. '_Good God, that's creepy._'

"Another nightmare?" Jean asked, breathing quickly from the sprint up the stairs. She glanced at the lamp on the desk, using her teke to click it on, illuminating the dark bedroom.

Ororo appeared behind the two of them, pulling a white satin robe over her matching gown. She shimmied between the doorjamb and Scott, coming around the side of Zoe's bed. The feral eyed her, but let her approach. "Are you alright?" she asked quietly, cautiously reaching one hand out to put on Zoe's shoulder.

"Is this going to be an every-night thing?" Scott asked, taking a jerking step into the room, ignoring his gut. Zee hissed again, baring her fangs at him in silent promise. "You're going to wake the entire school! We can't have this! The student's need their sleep!" He quickly adjusted his glasses back into place.

"And you need to back out of the room before she attacks you." said Jean, pulling on his arm. He resisted. "Scott!" The telekine watched Zoe slowly lower Sari beside her on the bed, never taking her eyes from Scott, scooting the cub protectively behind her back as his glasses again scooted down the bridge of his nose. Her mind was going back and forth between calm rationale and envisioning slicing her claws into Scott's face- easily readable in such intense focus.

"No- this is ridiculous!" he continued, pushing his glasses back up with one finger. "I know the Professor said that she was welcome here as long as she wasn't a detriment to the students, but making them lose sleep because she can't make it through the night without some kind of commotion is not right!"

"Scott!" Jean yanked on his arm again, using her teke to give him a shove. "Seriously- get out!"

"Go!" Ororo said to him, moving back a step when Zoe pulled her knees under her for leverage. "Zoe, calm down!"

"Let's just go back to bed. She's alright- the baby's alright." Jean said, her voice more forceful.

"Awful short leash you're tied up with." Zee growled at the fearless leader. "Does she dress you, too?" She glanced at his boxers, then back at his glasses. "I bet she does, doesn't she."

"Nice." He growled back. "What is it with ferals and the insults?"

"You're such an easy target." retorted the feral, standing up on the bed. She smirked when his hand went back to his non-existent visor, feeling for the button. "Gonna bet I can't slit your throat before you can blast me? Can you take me out without taking out the school, too? I hear the train station has a _lovely_ new sunroof because of your . . . little disability."

"Disability?" he snorted. "That Toad-thing stole my-"

"Yes, disability. You can't control your mutation." she hissed, hands on her hips. "And you likely never will."

"At least some of us try." he growled. "Instead of letting them control us."

"You think I am not in control?" she actually chuckled. "My dear boy. There's a difference in being controlled by your mutation and _being_ your mutation. You're fighting against the inevitable- you can't control your DNA- you _are_ your DNA."

The little elevator at the end of the hall dinged as the doors slid open, and the familiar sound of rubber wheels and a near-silent motor powering Professor Xavier down the hallway was easily heard. In seconds, he was beside Jean at the door, gently nudging her out of the way to enter. "What is going on here?"

"Scaredy-cat had a nightmare." said Scott, taking a step back, letting Xavier come between him and the feral. "And look at her- she's not only a disruption, but she's a danger to the entire student body! She's going to hurt someone!"

'_Just you._' she mouthed at him over the professor's head, smirking when he grit his teeth.

"And I see you have complete control of the situation." Xavier said to Scott with a disapproving expression. The elder student only looked away, ashamed. "You come running in here and start further agitating her. You don't grab a tiger by the tail." He looked the younger man in the eyes. "The only danger in here right now is you if you let those glasses slip off your nose." The professor touched the bridge of his own nose as he spoke as if he were settling his own glasses in place.

Scott huffed once, adjusting his glasses. Zosia smirked wider, mimicking him pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with her middle finger. He glared at her, opening his mouth as though he were about to say something. He paused, trying and failing to regain his composure. Finally, he huffed again before turning and storming out of the room. Jean watched him, concerned, but stayed behind.

"And you, my dear . . . " Charles said to Zoe turned his chair back towards the doorway. "-need a little more clothing."

The feral crossed her arms over the purple bra she wore. "At least I don't sleep naked anymore." she shrugged, but went to the pile of clothing she'd left on the dresser, and pulled out a long t-shirt. She pulled it over her torso, then looked back at him. "Better,_ mon professeur_?"

"Yes." he nodded once, folding his hands in his pajama-ed lap. "Now, my dear, what are we going to do about your sleeping arrangements?"

"What do you mean by that?" she asked suspiciously.

"Obviously you can't make it alone." said Jean. The feral hissed at her. "I don't mean it in a bad way! I only mean that you cannot sleep well on your own- you said so yourself when you told us that Mystique used to let you bunk with her!"

"I can't _help _it!" hissed Zoe. "It isn't like I fucking _enjoy_ it! You wanna trade places?"

"Calm down." Ororo said again, her voice calming, soothing. Zoe took a breath, trying to let the black fade out of her eyes.

"I'm not trying to be insulting to you when I say this," the professor began, "But perhaps we should arrange for you to have a room-mate of sorts. At least overnight."

"But-"

"Zosia," He cut her off, his tone of voice full of authority. She narrowed her eyes at him, but then turned to glare at the carpet, obstinately submissive. "I want to help you." His chair wheeled up close to her, and he reached out to take one of her hands, drawing her eyes back to his face. "You and little Sari are more than welcome here as long as you need to stay. This is and always will be a safe place for mutants. No one is going to throw you out in the snow."

"I-"

"But," he cut her off again. "While you are here, you do have to abide by the rules of the school. Scott, though a bit more brash than necessary, does have a valid point, and that is that this is a school full of students, and they do need uninterrupted sleep." He tipped his head a touch, thinking. "Now, we could either set you up a room in one of the lower levels-" He watched the girl shudder. "-or we can set it up for someone to stay at night with-"

Lower levels? Down with the med-lab? The cold, sterile underground? Zosia shook her head. "I'm not staying downstairs."

"I'll stay." Ororo interjected. "I don't care to sleep over."

"I think that would be for the best." said Charles, his voice conveying that this was the end of the matter. Problem solved.

The feral scowled, but didn't protest. Having the weather witch as a pillow was a hell of a lot better than trying to sleep in the basement. With a soft but stubborn snort, she watched Charles and Jean leave the room, listening to them head to and enter the elevator. Once they were out of sight, Ororo slipped from the side of the bed and out the door. Zosia pondered her curiously, listening to her once she was out of eyesight, as the weather witch walked back to her own room and rustled about. Moments later, she returned, a white satin-cased pillow along with a little silver alarm clock and a well-worn novel all tucked under her arm.

The redhead held in an obstinate growl, not sure whether or not she wanted the woman in the room with her. Yeah, she felt she could trust the windrider, but at the same time, her feline pride felt bruised as Ororo set her clock and novel on the other nightstand. She was no child to be coddled!

"Maybe we will both sleep better this way." Ororo said, her voice soothing again, as she laid her pillow on her side of the bed. "You won't dream, and I won't be startled awake by the lioness down the hall."

"Panther." Zoe murmured, watching Ororo sit down.

"Hmm?"

"Victor's a lion. I'm a panther." corrected the feral.

"Excuse me: Panther-ess down the hall." said Ororo, settling down under the blanket. "Now, think you can sleep?"

The feral scowled, unsure of whether or not she was being teased. "I'm not five."

"I thought you said you were one hundred and five?"

"I never said I was-"

"I'm just playing, Zee." said Ororo with a smile, turning her attention to the cub laying against the pillows. "Hello, little one." Sari clenched and unclenched her fists, turning her head to the windrider with a soft sigh. "Do you remember your Ororo already, little cub?" The cub only sighed again. "Is that a yes? Hmm?"

Still feeling somewhat slighted, the feral pulled the over-sized t-shirt off, tossing it back to the pile of clothes on the dresser. She was going to have to put her things away soon if she was going to be able to find anything. With a soft grunt, she flicked off the desk lamp, casting the room in deep shadow. Silently, she slunk to the bed, slipping in between the sheets, and sitting against the headboard on her side of the bed.

"You should try to rest, Zee." Ororo said softly, rolling onto her back to look in the general direction of Zoe's head. "You must be tired."

"I am." confirmed the feral, her voice a bit sharp. "But it takes me a while to resettle." She hmphed, lifting Sari up into her arms. "_Enfoncer joli garçon_."

"Hmm?" Ororo raised her eyebrows, unsure of whether or not the redhead could even see her.

"Nothing,_ mon moka_." Zoe said. The cub, settled, nursing, raked her tiny claws across the swell of her mother's breast, drawing four little lines in blood. Her mother gently pulled her hand away and looked at her little claws in the dark room. They would have to be filed down in the morning for sure. She felt the other set of kitten's claws cutting into her ribs. '_Nope- getting filed tonight._'

* * *

_'MUTANT TERRORISTS STILL ON THE LOOSE!' _

Victor raised one eyebrow, glancing at the newspaper someone had left on the table in the sparsely populated diner. He sat in a booth in the corner, his feet stretched out under the table to rest on the opposite bench. A half-full mug of coffee- no milk, two sugars- warmed one big hand, while the other casually flicked through The Graphic. The blonde mutant had put in his order ten minutes ago, and was still waiting on his breakfast.

_'. . . still on the lookout for Raven Stokholme, a.k.a. the mutant Mystique . . .'_ he read silently, bored. Just how long did it take to make fried eggs and a fuckin' ham-steak? He grunted, a half chuckle, at the terrible picture next to the mutant article. Mystique never had been terribly photogenic. Sipping his coffee, he turned the page, searching for his horoscope. He found it on the last page beside the comics.

_'Unlucky in love at the moment, but don't give up- something wonderful is waiting for you just around the bend! Financial troubles may await you, but should be resolved within the month. Your stars are all lined up with . . . ' _

He snorted. These things were always wrong. Just the same, he quickly clicked his claws across the screen of his phone, checking his banking app. Everything in order, as always. He growled again, checking the time. What the hell was taking so long? It shouldn't take any time to throw a hunk of pig on the grill, fry up some rubbery-yet-still-underdone eggs, and burn some fucking potatoes!

No one could cook like his Zee could- she always made his breakfasts perfect. His mouth almost watered, just thinking about it, before the aging waitress stuck a plate of 'food' down on his newspaper on the table. Without a thank you, fuck you, kiss my ass, she turned on her heel and walked back to her cigarette in the ashtray on the counter beside the cook's window.

"Well, fuck you very much, bitch." he growled to himself, lifting the plate. He scowled at the ring of grease the grungy plate left on his newspaper, shoving it aside and scooping up a bite of eggs. As he had guessed, they were runny and rubbery at the same time. His ham-steak was both burned and cold, and the little pile of friend potatoes were crunchy from being raw instead of fried. "Wow, they must have an uber-talented fucking chef to fuck this shit up this fucking bad."

A surge of homesickness drew over him, and he snarled at himself. He wanted Zee- wanted her in the little kitchen of the lair, cooking his breakfast after a long night of fucking- his eggs done just right, his steak rare but hot all the way through, and the potatoes soft all the way through, the only crunch the browned, caramelized outer coating with just a touch of salt and rosemary . . . He snarled again and glared at his satphone. The damned frail had him going soft! His eyes shifted back to the plate before him.

"God damn it."

* * *

Ororo half-groaned, blindly reaching behind her to silence the buzzing alarm clock on her nightstand. It was too early to wake- she was too tired to get up yet. Jean and Scott would just have to start breakfast for the children. She wondered if she could feign sickness and get away with it. Probably not with the two telepaths in the house.

She sighed, then groaned, groping across the edge of the bed for the corner of her little table. Supposing she must have shimmied down the bed in the middle of the night, she resigned herself to having to open her eyes. With a little grimace, she did so. Suddenly, she was face to face with two tiny brown eyes. Sari?

The windrider glanced around the room, remembering the previous night and her agreeing to bunk with the feral mother and cub.

"Speaking of feral mothers," Ororo mumbled to the purring cub curled up to her, running a gentle thumb down Sari's cheek. The cub opened her mouth, turning to root against Ororo's palm. ". . . Where is your's?"

"I'm in the bath." Came Zoe's voice from the open bathroom door. "I'll be out shortly,_ mon moka_."

The bathtub was to the right in the little bathroom, so nothing could be seen when Ororo glanced to the open door, save for her reflection in the big mirror above the single vanity. "Okay. I think Sari is hungry."

"You can bring her to me if you like." The water was turned back on for a few seconds, followed by the sound of the tub draining.

The tiny cub grunted, continuing to root against Ororo's hand, her eyes slid shut. "I think she'll be alright until you get back out here." In protest, Sari let out a warning whimper, the soft purring gone. "If you hurry." amended the weather witch. Pushing back the blankets, she sat up and lifted the baby up into her arms, letting Sari curl into a ball against her chest. The baby whimpered again, then let out a little squall. Zoe's figure could be seen in the mirror now, her hair pulled up into a messy bun that had half-fallen out, a simple white towel covering most of her wet body, save for a sliver down one side that revealed her set of stars.

Zosia met Ororo's eyes in the mirror briefly before slipping back out of the reflection to quickly dry. "Put her on your shoulder." she said loud enough for Ororo to hear. "If you hold her to your breast, she'll only become more frustrated." It took a second to sink in, but the windrider nodded, quickly sliding Sari up to the crook of her neck. The squall died, but the whimpers continued as the baby waited impatiently for her breakfast.

"Didn't you feed her before you got in the bath?"

"She's been nursing off and on all night as usual." returned the feral mother, walking out of the tiny bathroom in a pale pink t-shirt and a pair of black lacy boyshorts. She took her place against the headboard of the bed before taking her cub into her arms. "Hungry all the time, aren't you, little cub?" she said to her daughter, lifting her shirt for the cub to nurse. "Just like you Papa, _non_?" Sari happy, she turned her attention back to her new 'roommate' beside her. "Are we going in to town today? I miscalculated how many diapers Sari would go through." She smiled prettily with an amused shrug.

"Yes." nodded Ororo. "We have to get supplies of our own as well."

* * *

Three hours later found Zosia following Jean and Ororo through the parking lot of a rather small stripmall, their main goal being to stock up on groceries for the week for the school, as well as pick up the things that the feral mother and infant would need to get by. The grocery store at the end would suit the collective need, and so they meandered their way past the other store fronts.

The redheaded feral pulled Ororo's spare jacket closer around herself and Sari, tucking the little fox pelt tighter around the cub in her sling. She hadn't thought to pack a nicer coat in her bag when they had left home so quickly, and didn't think that wearing her hunting furs in town would be a terribly good idea. Thankfully, the dark-skinned woman had come to her rescue yet again, and loaned her this grey wool peacoat to cover herself and the cub. Sari slumbered away, tucked close to her mother's chest, and Zoe couldn't resist running the pad of her thumb lovingly over her tiny daughter's cheek.

"Ooh, those are cute." commented Jean, gesturing to a pair of auburn boots in a store window. Ororo paused beside her to look, and gave a little nod of approval before pointing out the same pair in a charcoal gray. "Those are cute, too." said the telekine. "They'd match about half your wardrobe."

"Don't knock it til you try it." returned the weather witch with a little smile.

"I could say the same about you with colours." said Jean. "Everything you own is either gray, white, or lavender."

"What's wrong with lavender?" asked Zoe boredly, giving the shoes in the window little attention.

"Nothing- unless that is the only colour you wear." Jean said, amused.

"That is not the only colours I wear, Jean." Ororo crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her fingers in feigned annoyance. "I have several other colours that I wear, thank you!"

"Like . . ?"

"Like that blue and green blouse I wore just a week ago when Wendy's mother came to the school for that little surprise visit."

"And . . ?"

"A light pink skirt."

Zoe smirked. "Don't forget sky-blue underwear." she teased lightly, looking at the clothes hanging in the next window.

Jean chuckled. "Underwear doesn't count. No one sees them."

"Is that what you told Scott to make him wear those awful underwear?" asked the feral with a snort. "Those valentine monstrosities. Ha!"

"Hey, those were cute!" defended the telekine. Ororo snorted beside her, chuckling. "You don't buy things like that for your . . . I forget we're talking about Sabretooth. I bet he wouldn't be caught dead in anything but leather."

The feral only raised one eyebrow, casually tucking her hands into her jeans pockets. "Actually, he prefers satin and silk over leather when it comes to underwear. Leather can be horribly chaffing after a while." She changed the subject before her mind could wander. "But anyway, are we about to purchase the school new Coach knock-offs or are we after something else?"

The two schoolteachers chuckled. Jean nodded, turning to lead them on past the clothing stores and into the large grocery chain at the end of the shopping center. She and Ororo grabbed a large basket, pulling it along behind them while Jean pulled a long, hand-written list from her pocket. The red-headed feral followed along, eyes scanning the people shopping around them as they headed first to the general merchandise side of the supercenter.

"I think the baby stuff is in the back." said Jean, going over the list in her hand while she used her teke to pull the cart along behind her. Ororo kept one hand on the basket to cover the telekine's trick, turning to check on Zoe and Sari behind her.

"All we need are diapers." said the feral flatly, looking at the racks of children's clothing they passed by.

"Here we are." Jean pulled a package of diapers off of a tall stack against the far wall of the store. "She should be in newborn, right?"

"Newborn." confirmed the feral, rounding the telekine and pulling a package of Huggies off the next stack. "This kind."

"The organic?" asked Ororo. "They're twice the price."

"But unscented and don't scratch her skin like cheaper brands." replied the feral. "And why should you care how much it should cost me?"

"Because the professor is paying for everything at the school." answered Jean with a little scowl.

"I've my own money- I don't need his." shrugged the feral, dropping the box in Ororo's cart. "So don't worry your pretty little head over it, telekine." And she turned on her heel to go look at the clothes.

Ororo and Jean shared a look, watching the feral scowl at a rack of sleepers, then continue on to the main aisle, finished already. Jean snorted softly, but put the store-brand diapers back on their stack. The windrider only shrugged, pulling the cart behind her to follow Zoe.

"Have you ever noticed the smell of most diapers?" the feral asked when the others reached her. When they only looked confused, she continued. "The manufacturers scent them- flowery, powdery scents- to make them more attractive to the women who buy them."

"Well, what's wrong with that?" Ororo chuckled.

"I can smell about 50 women in here on their menses. Hell, I could tell you what day they were on." deadpanned Zoe, touching the tip of her nose with one finger. "If I can smell that from across a crowded store, how strong do you think those cheap diapers reak to me? Or to Sari?"

* * *

"Just set them there on the island top, Piotr." Jean said with a smile as the tall Russian set his two armloads of shopping bags on the counter. "Thank you for the help."

The teenager smiled. "Anytime, Miss Grey."

Ororo set her handful down on the floor beside the island as Zosia brought in the last bit, slung over her shoulder. They were settled next to Ororo's pile.

"Alright, where are those kids?" Jean asked absently, putting one hand up to her forehead. "You heard the car pull up."

"Coming!" came Kitty's voice from down the hall, followed by the sound of several feet jogging. Kitty, Rogue, Jubilee, Bobby, and John appeared in the kitchen doorway. "Sorry, Miss Grey, we-" The mouse-haired teen glanced at the tall, dark Russian teen standing by the island and blushed crimson. "Oh, hi Piotr." Piotr grunted with a little nod, turning and walking towards the other door. He paused at the hallway, glancing back at her with a hint of blush.

Bobby and John shared an amused smirk before grabbing food from the bags and beginning to pack it all away. The girls quickly followed their lead, with the help of Jean, to put the school's weekly food ration away. Zosia grabbed a bag of apples and put them in the big bowl on the side-counter next to some oranges, stacking them together.

"Dr. Pepper? Cool." said Bobby, putting a six-pack in the giant fridge. "I'll just set one of these under my bed for you, Rogue, for later . . . " He winked at the skunk-haired girl, making her blush prettily.

"No you won't." chided Jean gently, handing him another six-pack of sodas for the icebox. Behind them, John snorted softly, then turned to wink at Rogue. She stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

"Oh, hey, I forgot!" Jubilee suddenly exclaimed. Rogue, standing beside her, dropped a bag of potatoes in surprise. The bag broke open, and potatoes rolled to the four corners of the kitchen, prompting Bobby and John to scramble to help her pick them up. "Ooops- sorry, Rogie-Chika!"

"Forgot what, Jubilation?" asked Ororo, settling cans in the cupboard.

"The professor and Mr. Summers have a package for Zoe in his office." said the girl.

"How did you possibly keep that to yourself?" asked Rogue, one eyebrow peaked.

"I told you I forgot." Jubilee explained. "As soon as I heard Mr. Summers threatening to throw it out, that new boy rounded the corner- the one with the blonde hair and that cute butt-"

"Anyway-" Rogue cut her off with a little chuckle.

"Well, anyway, there are two boxes for Zoe or something in Professor Xavier's office. You know, unless Mr. Summers blasted them already or something."

* * *

Well, what did you think? Like it? Love it? Tell me in a review!


	10. Chapter 10

Greetings and welcome from The Lady Mage!

Um, here's chapter 10? Full of the sillies, but it gets the job done, I guess. LOL Enjoy!

Legalities: Yeah, if I owned him, sure as shit wouldn't share him. Sorry, ladies!

* * *

FERITY: (fehr-ih-tee) - (noun) - 1.) The state of being wild or untamed. 2.) Savagery; Ferocity.

* * *

The redheaded feral scowled slightly, curious and a little worried at the same time. She rested her hands protectively on the sleeping cub against her chest, then glanced at Ororo. The windrider raised one eyebrow, but then turned to heard out the doorway in the direction of Charles's office, Zoe quickly at her heels.

Outside of the office, both women could hear Scott's agitation inside. "Lord knows what is in this box- it could be a _bomb_ for all we know! Tracking devices?"

"Someone watches a little too much sci-fi." Zoe said cooly, breezing into the room. She rounded the desk to stand beside Xavier, looking curiously at the brown cardboard box sitting beside his desk. She glanced up at Scott, humored by his scowl. "Think the mothership is going to come find you tonight? Maybe you can finally do home and be with your own kind."

"Alright now." Xavier said gently, cutting off any farther bantering betwixt the two before it could start. His hand gently pat Zoe's lower back. "This was delivered today. UPS. They have no return address, only your daughter's name on it." He gestured to the box that was almost as tall as his lap. Her name was written in black sharpie across the top. '_Sari Victoria Jane Erika Creed_'

"What could it be?" Ororo wondered aloud.

"Well, open them and see." said Jean, appearing in the doorway before taking her place beside Scott.

Zoe shrugged, gently lifting Sari from her sling and handing her to Ororo out of the way. Then she used a sharp nail to cut the tape on the box with Sari's name written across it. Ignoring Scott's tensing, she pulled the box open, looking down at the burgundy gift box inside it. In silver, printed across it was 'SAKS FIFTH AVENUE'. She half-smirked. "Victor."

"Huh?" Jean peered over the top of the box in surprise. "Saks Fifth Avenue?"

"It's his favorite." said Zoe, lifting the lid of the gift box. Inside it were several tiny onesides, folded neatly along side sleepers, socks, and tiny dresses. The feral lifted a little pair of white newborn ballet slippers from the box, running her thumb over the rhinestone-ed '_GUCCI_' along the sides. "I forgot about this- he ordered it the day she was born. I wonder how they knew to ship it here?"

"O-M-G! Are those GUCCI baby shoes?" Jubilation's voice half-squealed from the hallway. "Like, soooo cute!"

"Let me get this straight:" Scott began, rubbing his forehead as though he had a migraine. "Sabretooth shops at Saks? For baby clothes?" He picked up a pink Ralph Lauren sleeper with thumb and forefinger like it was poisoned. "Pink baby clothes?"

"Well, Sari is a girl- she needs lots of pink!" Jubilee said, squeezing past Scott and Jean to see the box for herself.

"Jubilation." Professor Xavier chastised gently.

The teen clasped her hands behind her back, meeting his eyes. "I didn't touch anything!" she said. "But I can smell Ralph Lauren, like, a mile away!"

"Jubes! Where'd you go? Hey-" Rogue popped her head in the door, finding Jubilee and giving her an amused smirk. "You just ran off like someone was handing out free Beiber tickets in here!"

"Lookie, Chica!" Jubes all but squealed, picking up a sterling silver baby rattle and giving it a shake. "Tiffany!" She dropped the rattle back in the box and lifted a pair of soft pink and white striped pants. "And Ralph Lauren!"

"Okay, Sabretooth picking out Ralph Lauren?" Scott snorted. "Yeah right- more like Bass Pro Shops." He looked to Zoe with a raised eyebrow. "Where's the leather diaper covers and tiny camo bullet-proof vests?"

Zoe returned his look with a dark glare. "Back home. Thought I wouldn't need them here." she hissed, ignoring the box and the two teen girls cooing over its contents. "What makes you think he wouldn't want Sari to have nice things?"

"Um, because he is SABRETOOTH." Scott answered, enunciating Victor's alias. "That's why."

The feral's eyes began to bleed black. "Oh, so you meet him three times so you know him like the back of your-"

"I beat the animal twice! The first time we fought, he ran away like a cowar-"

A low growl from the redheaded panther cut him off. "Not everything or everyone is so black and white, you self-righteous dick." Zoe hissed. "Though I suppose it is hard to see the world for the shadows when you are stuck forever looking through rose-tinted glasses."

"I can see just fine enough to know-"

"**Zoe! Scott!**" Charles all but barked from his chair. The whole room went silent and still, all eyes turning to the telepath. "That is quite enough!" He turned a steely eye to Scott. "I will have no more of this. You will not say anything further about Zoe's mate." He turned his eyes to the feral. She returned his glare with black eyes, body tensed to pounce. "You _will_ calm down. Now."

The girl opened her mouth to argue, but changed her mind, gritting her fangs, slicing open her bottom lip. Her nostrils flared, eyes still pitch black, claws slightly lengthened. "**FINE.**" she growled, ignoring the blood beginning to streak down her chin.

"Zoe." Charles tilted his head to the side the tiniest bit, his voice and demeanor one of authority, demanding her obedience.

A tiny sigh from the cub in Ororo's arms behind her caught the feral's attention. She turned her head to glance at her daughter, feeling her eyes lighten back to their midnight blue. She could smell them then, and it soothed her animal brain enough to bring her back to a simmer. "I am calm."

"Good." said the professor. "Now, why don't you take-"

"Look at this one!" Jubilee lifted a tiny pink onesie from the bottom of the box, and held it up for Zoe to see. "Who is that?"

The feral slightly scowled, snatching the soft fabric from the Chinese teen's hands. It was pale powdery pink, with a picture of Victor screen printed on the chest over the words 'I'M WITH STUPID -' in dark pink. She smirked, almost chuckled. "This had to have been done by Myst."

"What is it?" asked Rogue, peaking around Zoe's shoulder to see.

Zosia let her look, then tossed it to Jean. The telekine caught the shirt, then unfolded it to read the front. "I can tell you where _mein Schwester_ ordered that shirt. I'm sure you have an appropriately stupid picture of Scotty here to put on it. Surely they come in adult sizes, too."

With a soft sigh, Charles ignored the feral's dig for the sake of some peace, and instead of admonishing her, simply gestured to the box before him. "My dear, why don't you take Sari's things up to your quarters and pack them away?"

"Oooh! Can I help! I wanna help!" said Jubilee excitedly, turning to give Zoe puppy-dog eyes. "Please can I help?"

". . . Sure." said Zoe, one eyebrow raised at the strange teen's antics. "If it makes you happy."

"Oh boy, does it!"

"You've a whole wardrobe to put away, Zee." Ororo said from behind her, giving Sari's little first a gentle shake. "I'm sure that Jubilee would be more than happy to help you with it, too."

* * *

Across the state, sitting in another greasy spoon, sat Victor, reading another newspaper bearing the same story as the last. Bored out of his mind, the feral refolded the paper before looking down at the rare steak and baked potato in front of him. Unlike the other diner several counties away, this joint had decent food. Any other day, any other time, and he'd have wolfed them down without a thought. Today, though, he didn't like the way it smelled.

He wasn't sure why he didn't care for the smell. Perhaps it was a combination of all the other people crowded into the diner and the thirty other plates of food around him. Maybe it was because he didn't have a tall beer to wash it all down with. Or maybe, and he shuddered to think, it was because Zee wasn't here with him to enjoy it.

There wasn't reason to miss her now, though. He scowled, tossing his paper down on the table beside his glass of iced tea. Hell, he hadn't made a point of taking Zoe on any of his little excursions. On purpose. For one, he needed the lone time to regain his sense of balance. For two, he wouldn't put Zoe out where she could be in danger. The less people knew about her, the better. God forbid someone decide to come after her to hurt him.

He smirked suddenly. Of course, if someone did come after her, they'd have one fucking hell of a fight on their hands. His mate was no ten pound weakling. By God, she could just about take care of herself. She had his brute strength and feline senses, and on top of that she had speed and an unnatural amount of grace in her movements. Learning to fight with Mystique had done her a lot of good. Though he really didn't care much for the overgrown smurf, he had to admit she was a pretty damn resourceful fighter.

'_Wonder where the bitch is now?_'

* * *

'_Fucking one-eyed mother fucker._' Zoe seethed silently, standing at the window, glaring out at the treetops on the other side of the cinderblock walls that surrounded the school. Her arms were crossed, in frustration and to support her nursing cub. '_What does he think-_'

"O-M-G!" Jubilee all but squealed behind her, lifting Zoe's favorite red sundress. "This is Aiko! Where did you get this?"

The feral scowled with a grunt. "Victor bought it. I don't know where."

"For serious? This is DKNY! And Edun!" The Chinese teen seemed to be in Heaven, sorting Zoe's clothes for her to be hung in the closet. Rogue and Ororo watched her amusedly. "And . . ." The girls stifled a pleased moan. "Vera Wang jeans . . ." She swallowed, holding them up. "Where do you want these?"

Zoe's scowl deepened. "I don't care- throw them in the closet." she muttered, watching the breeze ruffle through the fir trees.

"You. Don't. Care." Jubilee looked at her in agonized awe.

She snapped. "It's just a piece of cloth to cover my ass! For fuck's sake- I don't care what you do with the fucking thing- just put it somewhere I can fucking find it!" She turned around, taking in the shocked faces on the three girls' faces and took in a deep breath. "God, I'm just pissed at that . . " She started to say what she really thought of the 'fearless leader' downstairs, but decided to try to preserve some sense of innocence for the two teens. ". . dick downstairs."

"Don't let Mr. Summers get to you. He's always been a stick in the mud." Jubilee said with a wave of her hand. She brought a finger to her chin. "Though, you do seem to bring it out worse in him."

"You understand why he is like that, though." said Rogue thoughtfully. "He knows where you come from."

"Where do you come from?" Jubilee asked, out of the loop. "Why would he, like, care where you came from?"

"Because apparently I come from a group of horrible people." hissed Zoe. She took another breath. "Never mind. You're too young to understand."

"I'm not that much younger than you!" argued Jubilee.

"My darling, I am surely old enough to be your grandmother." returned the feral. "At least old enough to be your mother."

The teen chuckled. "No, really."

"Really." She turned back to look outside again. "Honey, _I_ don't even know how old I really am."

"Huh?"

"It's a long story. Another time maybe."

"Are you gonna be okay?" Rogue looked both cautious and concerned, holding a pink tank-top in mid-fold, watching the feral. "You're really tense- I can tell."

"I will be fine." Zoe said without turning back to the group. "Eventually."

"You know . . . " the skunk-haired girl began quietly, "When Logan is tense, he goes to work it off. He told me once . . . Maybe it would help you, too?"

* * *

The elevator floor felt as though it was pulsing beneath their feet. It was worse when the doors slid shut and the lift began its descent down to the lower levels of the school. Ororo looked at Jean with a shrug.

"I dunno." said the telekine. "Didn't you say Zoe was down here?"

"She had me show her the gym." Ororo confirmed. "Said she wanted to run on the treadmill."

"Huh." shrugged the telekine. The doors slid open and both women scowled. The whole bottom level was throbbing, pulsing in rhythm. "What in the world?"

Ororo shrugged, turning and walking down the longer hallway, rounding the corner with Jean at her heels. They came to the door to the gym. The sound was louder here. Jean reached out and pushed the button to open the door. Both women immediately clapped their hands over their ears.

_. . . Take it, take it, love me, love me_

_Come here, rude boy, boy, can you get it up?_

_Come here, rude boy, boy, is you big enough?_

_Take it, take it, baby, baby, _

_Take it, take it, love me, love me_

_Tonight, I'mma let you be the captain,_

_Tonight, I'mma let you do your thing, yeah,_

_Tonight, I'mma let you be a rider,_

_Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up, babe . . . _

Along the far wall of the small gym, in front of the mirrors, Zoe was on the treadmill, more shaking her backside than walking. She had changed into a pair of dark navy blue skin-tight short-shorts that fit more like underwear than shorts under a hot pink racer tank. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail, curls falling into her eyes only to be swept behind her ears. On the floor beside the treadmill, laying sleeping peacefully on a pile of clean towels, lay Sari, a huge pair of protective earmuffs over her tiny ears.

_Tonight I'mma let it be fire,_

_Tonight I'mma let you take me higher,_

_Tonight baby, we can get it on_

_Yeah, we can get it on, yeah_

_Do you like it boy?_

_I wa-wa-want what you wa-wa-want,_

_Give it to me baby like boom, boom boo-_

With a flick of her wrist, Jean used her teke to turn off the stereo system from across the room. Zosia jumped off the treadmill with a hiss of surprise, landing in a low crouch, facing the two women. Recognizing them, she quickly stood straight and scowled.

"What gives?" she asked.

"Do you have any eardrums left?" Ororo asked with a light chuckle.

"They grow back, remember?" asked the feral with a smirk.

"What in the world were you listening to?" Jean walked towards the stereo system. The feral was faster than her, cutting her off. Zosia snatched something from the top of the speakers, yanking it off the cord she had it plugged into. "Hey! -the heck?"

Zoe quickly shoved her satophone into her bra, streaking back across the room, and grabbing her light jacket from Sari's feet. "Mind your own, telekine." said the feral gruffly, pulling the jacket on over her tank.

Jean raised one eyebrow. "What do you have?"

"Things to do." answered the feral, "That don't concern you."

"Zee?" Ororo cocked her head to the side.

The telekine wouldn't give up easily. "What do you have?" she repeated. "As in, what did you just put down your shirt?" The feral growled, low, a warning. "Well?" She reached out, mentally, to the other redhead, but met a solid wall of anger.

"OUT of my HEAD." hissed the feral.

"Then tell me what you have." said Jean with a shrug.

"Thought-fucker." Zoe hissed, fangs lengthened. She could feel the zipper of her jacket tug. "Jean, fuck _OFF_."

"Such language." Jean admonished.

"You're about to strip my clothes off and you're trying to scold me for telling you to fuck off?"

"Jean, leave it alone." Ororo said quietly, putting a hand on the telekine's elbow. "Probably just an MP3 player- all the children have them."

"Then why hide it?"

"Because it's _mine_, and I'm not about to give it up." said Zoe.

Ororo, trying to diffuse the situation, smiled at Zoe. "What were you listening to?"

"Music." spat the feral, still agitated and on guard.

The windrider rolled her eyes. "I meant what song was that?" she said, coming up to the girl, eyes averted to keep from making the feral more defensive. "I've never heard it before."

Zosia watched Ororo approach, letting her come right up beside her until she could smell the woman's vanilla shampoo, and the light scent of impending rain. It soothed her agitation almost as well as Victor's scent could. She discreetly took in a lungful, held it, then slowly let it out. "It's _Rihanna_." she answered to windrider. She playfully smiled. "It's one of Victor's favorites."

"Really?" asked Ororo, surprised. "Never would have pegged that one."

"He only likes it because it means he's gonna get some." shrugged the feral. "Brings him out of the woods real fast if he's out hunting."

The windrider snickered. "Why?"

"You didn't listen to the lyrics?" Zoe chuckled. "Come here, rude boy- boy, can you get it up?" she repeated, rolling her body from her stomach to her thighs and back. "Come here, rude boy- boy, is you big enough?" She straightened up again. "Kinda self-explanatory, _non_?" She chuckled again.

Jean watched the two, paying attention to how the feral seemed to calm so quickly with Ororo near her. Filing it away mentally, she came up to the two of them, glancing down at the still-sleeping cub. "Doesn't that hurt her little head?"

"I'd say she's used to it by now." answered the feral, following her gaze. "She'll wake soon without the music on."

"Can she still hear it through those muffs?" asked Ororo, eyes wide. "Does it hurt her ears?"

"She can't hear it, but she can feel it." guessed the telekine. "Did you listen to a lot of loud music while pregnant?" At the feral's nod, she clucked her tongue with a smile. "So she finds the beat soothing."

"Yes." Zoe nodded once more with a little smile.

"Well, if she needs her nap, then put the music back on."

The girl's eyes snapped back to Jean's. She shook her head. "No."

"Oh, come on." said the telekine, crossing her arms over her stomach. "What could you possibly be hiding that is _that_ bad? A bomb?"

"No."

"We're not your enemies."

"But you should be smart enough to understand why I can't just blindly trust you. I've a family to protect, albeit a broken family at the moment, but still . . It's nothing personal."

"We're not trying to hurt anyone." said Ororo.

"Really? Want to tell that to my _dead brother_? My possibly-dead _sister_? My imprisoned _father_?" hissed Zosia. She paused, taking a deep breath to calm herself, putting her hands on her hips. "Pardon my outburst."

"That's not how I meant that." the windrider said, reaching out and running her hand along Zoe's shoulder. "It's all right. I meant that we're trying to help you and Sari. We're not going to do anything to hurt either of you. You don't have to be so guarded all the time because we're not trying to get anything out of you."

Zosia nodded, subconsciously leaning into the windrider's touch. "Okay."

"I could use a little workout." said Jean, eyeing the four treadmills along the wall. "What about you, 'Ro?"

"Sure." said the windrider. She playfully reached out and poked Jean's stomach. "Some of us need it more than others." she teased.

Jean feigned insult. "Well, excuse me!"

Zosia smirked. "Too much of that salty stuff you feed the children?"

"I'm a salt addict." shrugged the telekine with a chuckle. "I admit it."

"Want to listen to your MP3 player?" Ororo asked the feral. "Though, not as loudly, maybe? My eardrums don't grow back."

The feral smiled briefly, recrossing her arms. "It's not an MP3 player."

"Well, whatever it is, you were listening to music with it." Ororo shrugged, watching Jean walk to the little line of lockers along the far wall and pull out a couple pairs of shorts and t-shirts, kept there for this very purpose.

Zoe scowled again, looking at the floor. With a huffed sigh, she unzipped the jacket and pulled her satophone from her shirt.

"What is that?" asked the windrider.

"It's a phone." answered Zoe. "A satellite phone. Mine is kind of like an IPhone- I can use it the same way, I suppose." She let Ororo look at it, but kept a firm grip on it.

"Why would you need to hide a phone?" Jean asked, handing Ororo a tank and some shorts.

"Because of what is on it." answered the feral. "And I figured that Scooter would be less than pleased that I could contact Victor with it."

"Point." Jean assessed. "Well, I really figured it wouldn't be too out there to think you would try to contact him eventually. He's your husband- your mate."

The feral shrugged again, looking at the little blue phone, clicking her nails across the screen to unlock it. She clicked again on the music icon, bringing up the last song she was listening to. She held it where Ororo could see the lyrics scrolled across the screen. After a few seconds, she pulled it back, clicking her claws across it again to pick out another.

"Well, how about this:" said Jean, "I have to tell the Professor, but we can _not_ tell Scott about your phone for now, okay?" She gave the girl a reassuring smile. Zoe only nodded once. "Now, do you wanna play some music while we're down here?"

"Sure." said the feral, walking back to the stereo system. Ororo followed, turning the volume knob down before Zoe could turn the music back on. "You take all the fun out of this." Zoe said teasingly. The windrider chuckled.

"What do you have on there?" she asked.

"Anything and everything. Mostly dance music." answered the redhead, plugging the little cord back into her satphone. When the two turned back around, Jean had already pulled her shorts and tank on, and was turning on the second treadmill. Ororo slipped into the little locker room to change. Zoe scrolled through her phone again, clicked the music on to repeat, and settled the phone back onto the speakers. "See if you like this one, telekine." She turned the volume back up- not as loud as before, but loud enough she could feel the beat beneath her feet.

_. . . Na na na na- Come on_

_Na na na na- Come on_

_Na na na na- Come on_

_Na na na na- Come one, come on, come on_

_Na na na na_

_Feels so good bein' bad,_

_There's no way I'm turnin' back,_

_Now the pain is my pleasure cause nothing could measure . . ._

The redheaded feral shook her hips, dancing her way over to the chin-up bars. She hopped up to the tallest one, hanging on it by her knees, watching Jean jog on the treadmill.

_. . . Cause I may be bad, but I'm perfectly good at it!_

_Sex in the air- I don't care, I love the smell of it_

_Sticks and stones may break my bones,_

_But chains and whips excite me_

_Cause I may be bad, but I'm perfectly good at it!_

_Sex in the air- I don't care, I love the smell of it_

_Sticks and stones may break my bones,_

_But chains and whips excite me . . . _

The telekine laughed out loud, turning off the treadmill to turn to look at the feral. "Where in the world did you find this song? What is it?"

"It's Rihanna again." Zoe said to her, loud enough to be heard. "S&M. You would prefer something else?"

"What else do you have?"

Zoe unhooked her knees, tucking her body and landing on her feet, then walked back to her phone. She chose another song from the list as Ororo rejoined them in her shorts and tank-top. She pushed play before setting the phone back on the speaker, but lingered in case she needed to change it again.

_She want it- I can tell she want it_

_Want me to push up on it- 'fore she know when I'm all on it_

_We get the party going, liquor flowing, this is fire_

_50 and Jeremiah, number one, there's nothing higher_

The feral chuckled quietly at the confused look on Jean's face. The telekine wrinkled her nose for a few seconds, stepping off the treadmill and coming closer to the other two women.

_Look how she twurk it- the way she work it_

_Make me wanna hit it, hit it- Heaven when I'm in it, in it_

_If I do not fit, I'm gonna make it_

_Girl you can take it- don't stop, get it, get it_

_I like the way you grind with that booty on me_

_Shorty, you a dime- why you looking lonely?_

_We'll buy another round and it's all on me_

_As long as I'm around, put it down on me_

"What in the world is this? I've heard this before."

"I don't know- it's something I heard in a bar once and liked it." shrugged the feral. "Fun to dance to, though." She rolled her hips again playfully.

"Wish I could dance like that."

Ororo laughed. "That'd give Scott a thrill!" she teased.

"Dance like this? You mean like bellydancing?" Zoe asked, lifting her hands up, clasping them above her head, and shimmying her hips. "Like this?"

"Yes, like that!" said Jean, instantly amused. "How do you do that?"

"Mystique taught me." Zoe answered, rolling her stomach down to her hips and back. "Part of my training."

"Training?"

"Yeah, that's a story for another day."

"Show me, show me!" said Jean, putting her hands up and attempting to mimic the feral.

"You can do it- you just have to speed it up." said Zoe, slowing it down, shifting her hips back and forth as she sunk down to the floor and back up. "Just do that, but faster." She brought her hands back down, putting them on her hips.

"Oh heck, I can't dance." said Jean with a wave of her hand and a chuckle. Ororo laughed out loud again.

"Bullshit." said Zoe, rolling her eyes. "Just shake your ass! If you can fuck, you can dance!"

Ororo about choked, then laughed louder. Jean gave her a mock-dirty look. "Shut it, Ro!" She looked back to Zoe. "And you, please-please-please cut it with the cussing! You can't curse in front of the students!"

"I'll hold my tongue in front of the innocents." Zoe said, rolling her eyes obstinately as the song ended. She walked past the two women, leaning down over Sari. She made sure the earmuffs were still in their proper place on the sleeping baby's ears, tucked her towel-turned-blanket down tight around her, then planted a kiss on her tiny forehead.

_Baby, when we're grindin', I get so excited,_

_Ooh, how I like it- I try but I can't fight it_

_You're dancin' real close, 'cuz it's real, real slow_

_You're makin' it hard for me_

_All the songs on you requested_

_You're dancin' like you're naked_

_It's almost like we're sexin'_

_Yeah, boo, I like it- no, I can't deny it_

_But I know you can tell I'm excited . . . _

Back by the speakers, Jean picked up Zoe's phone and scrolled down the long list of music. "I don't know any of this stuff!" She called to the feral across the room. "Who are these people?"

Zosia stood from her daughter, and came to take the phone from Jean, running one claw across the screen. She chewed her lip absently, then picked out another song. "Surely you've heard this one. It was popular for a good while." She said, pressing play. "You two gonna work out or dance?"

"I told you- I can't dance." said Jean with another laugh.

"Everyone can dance, telekine." returned Zosia.

"Not everyone is a lion! We can't all move like a cat."

"I'm not a lion- I'm a panther." The feral scowled. "And you don't have to be a cat." She rolled her eyes, hands on her hips. "You can fuck, can't you? Aren't you ever on top? I know you sleep with Scotty- I can smell him all over you."

The telekine started to protest, blushing bright red from her hairline to her chest. "You smell him on me?"

"You can scrub and scrub but it takes days and days to get the smell off." said the feral. Her eyes widened a little bit. "I'm not saying you stink! I can smell things you can't- that's just one of them. If Ororo sniffed you, she wouldn't be able to detect it."

Jean snorted. "No, it's okay, you just surprised me. You're fairly blunt, aren't you."

"Yeah. Now, aren't you ever on top? Don't you know how to roll your hips?" she asked.

Ororo chuckled again. "Like how?"

Zoe put her hands on her hips, rolling her hips in a circle. "Like that-" She reached out and grabbed Jean's hips, moving her the right way. "Pretend you're on Scotty." The two women burst out laughing again. "Oh, come on! Grow up!"

"No, no." Jean shook her head. "It's not that- it's just we don't ever talk like this."

"Really? I thought all frails had an incessant need for . . . 'girl talk'. Hell, My sister and I compared techniques."

"What? Really?" Jean's eyes widened. "Wow."

"Yeah, neither of us have a filter." Zoe said absently, flicking her hand out away from her. "Meh." She looked back at the telekine's hips. "Though, by the looks of that, there isn't much to incessantly speak of."

"Hey, what's wrong with- It get's the job done!" the redhead blushed deeper.

"Oh hell, my hands could get the job done, but that doesn't do shit for _me_." The feral said. "God damn, girl, move it like you want it!" She repeated the motion, circling her hips, arms up above her head.

"Is it just me or is it weird to hear that coming from that angel's pout mouth?" Jean asked Ororo, gesturing to Zoe. The feral scowled. "Like if Jubilee came down here trying to give us tips."

"I'm more demon than angel. I promise." said the feral darkly.

"I'm sorry- it's just you look like you're about fifteen." When the girl opened her mouth to protest, Jean continued. "We know you're not fifteen- ferals age differently."

"Really- I figured by human standards I looked as though I should be just barely legal." She changed the song again, putting on one with a faster beat. "Now, fucking shimmy your hips, telekine!"

"**_JUST WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?_**"

* * *

Like it? Love it? Tell me in a review!

The songs in this chappie were:

_Rihanna: Rude Boy_

_Rihanna: S&M_

_Jeremiah and 50cent: Down On Me_

_Next: Too Close_


	11. Chapter 11

Greeting and welcome from The Lady Mage! Chapter 11 is a bit short, but I think you will like it! Shoutout to my online bestie, Leonaria Dragonbane, for all her help with this chappie! I luv ya, chika! *MUAH*

Legalities: Yeah, totally would share this feral if he was mine . . . . Not.

* * *

FERITY: (fehr-ih-tee) - (noun) - 1.) The state of being wild or untamed. 2.) Savagery; Ferocity.

* * *

Every single shelf in the convenience store was chock-full of various junk foods, tacky souvenirs, and on-the-go necessities. Hell, some of the shit was even stuffed on top of other shit just to get it out of the box. Every single square inch of shelf space was taken- except for where the Twinkies go.

Victor grit his teeth with a scowl, glaring at the only empty space in the entire KwikFill. Of course they wouldn't have the one thing he wanted. No, that would be convenient, and nothing was ever fucking convenient. With a half-way calming breath, the blonde feral retracted his claws before they could pierce through the pockets of his charcoal duster. He shrugged his blonde ponytail off his shoulder to hang down his back, then turned and walked up to the individually wrapped snack cakes off to the sides of the registers.

Three packs of Twinkies left. '_Oh, happy day._' he deadpanned in his head, snatching them from their box before moving past a group of business men stopping in for a tank of gas and a quick lunch to stand in line behind two young frails.

"I know, right?" The blonde frail said to the young cashier, flashing him a flirty smile as she put a candy bar and her drink on the counter to be rung up.

"Yeah, it sucks." He returned, punching numbers on the register to ring the items up. "But my manager's been talking about it all last week. She'll be gone until next Monday. Locked everything up tight and all that. I can't even get into the storage room!" He rolled his eyes. "Cameras haven't worked in this place for like two years but she had all new ones installed just the other day."

_New cameras?_ The blonde feral glanced around the store's ceiling, taking in the little red lights blinking on all the shiny, new security cameras. Amused, he looked at the one pointed his way over the cashier's shoulder, flashing a cheeky, smirking smile at it. He'd been to this little KwikFill at least a hundred times over the last two years- it was so conveniently located on I-87, and he stopped here on his way back and forth from Canada.

"-Doesn't trust us to keep this place up and running, so she's running surveillance 24/7 now." The clerk held a handful of coins out to the frails. "And ninety-seven cents is your change. Thanks for shopping at Kwikfill."

"Thanks, Tommy." returned the frail, picking up her purchases. "See you in Algebra 1 tomorrow!"

He grinned at her, then glanced up at Victor. ". . . . Uh, sir?"

The tall man turned his eyes from the camera to the cashier. "What?" he growled.

"Uh, you gonna . . pay for that?" asked the younger man, gesturing to the Twinkies in Victor's hands.

Victor narrowed his eyes, considering just walking out without paying for them- just because he didn't care for the younger boy's tone of voice- but the little blinking light just past his shoulder kept him from it. "Yeah." He tossed the three packs on the counter. "And give me . . . " He glanced over the store's meager cigar selection. "Fuck. Give me the box on the end there- the ones with the gold band."

"Those are individually sold, sir."

"Did I fucking ask if they were individually sold? I said I want the box." growled Victor. "So hurry it up."

"Okay." the cashier lifted the box out of its slot and set it on the counter, quickly counting up the 37 cigars left in it, then rang everything up. "That'll be fifty-two dollars and seventy-eight cents, sir."

Victor tossed three twenties on the counter, stuffing the Twinkies into the cigar box to carry easier. "Keep the change."

"Thank you, sir. Thanks for shopping at Kwikfill." said the cashier, watching the feral curiously.

Lifting the box, Victor gave a last glance to the camera. _'Hope they don't overly scrutinize that tape.'_ He walked out the door, but paused when something caught his attention peripherally. Turning back, he spotted the cashier pull out a pad of paper, glance at the clock on the wall, then scribble out a note. '_Well, shit._'

* * *

"**JUST WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?**"

Jean and Ororo spun towards the doorway; Zosia half-roared in surprise, dropping into a low crouch. Scott stood in the gym's entrance, hands on his hips, looking not at all pleased. Within a heartbeat, Zoe snatched her phone back from its spot on the speaker, silencing the room with the snapping of the cord.

"Scott, you startled us!" said Jean, amused. Ororo smiled with a nod and a chuckle.

"What was that?" asked Scott, glaring at Zoe. "What are you trying to hide?"

"Don't worry your little, red eye over it." she hissed back.

"Then what was it?" demanded the man, taking the fifteen steps across the room to stand in front of her. "What are you hiding?"

"I said not to worry about it." Zoe crossed her arms over her chest, pushing her sato-phone down her bra again. "So don't fucking worry about it!"

"If I thought you weren't up to something, I wouldn't have to worry about it!" He grit his teeth, standing beside Jean, glaring at the feral.

"Oh my fucking GOD, Victor better hurry the fuck up!" Zoe threw her arms in the air in frustration, turning on her heel to go get Sari from her make-shift bed. She made it almost to her cub before Scott's hand closed around her wrist. In two seconds, he was on his back, Zosia's foot on his chest. "**DO NOT TOUCH ME!**" Scott grabbed her ankle, twisting, bringing her down on the floor next to him, shoving her so he was pinning her to the floor. She roared at him, kicking him off.

"Scott!" Jean yelled. "Stop it! Both of you!"

"Zee!" Ororo and Jean rushed towards the two.

"If you so much as reach for that button, mother fucker, I will gut you in front of your girlfriend!" hissed the feral, eyes black, fangs lengthened, claws extended. She took on a defensive crouch in front of her daughter. "You better keep your fucking eyes _SHUT_ around my cub!"

"HEY!" Jean barked out, "Cool it!"

"You two can't keep fighting like this!" Ororo crossed her arms, eyebrows drawn together. "Especially if you're going to be here for a while! The children cannot see the two of you going at it like cats and dogs!"

Scott only sneered, reaching out and grabbing the feral's shoulders, pushing her hard to the side. She swiped him with her claws, tucking into a roll before she could land on and crush Sari. Planting her feet, she launched at the fearless leader, claws extended aiming for his gut. He sidestepped at the last second, but she rebounded off the wall and tackled him to the ground. As she landed, her phone slipped free from her shirt, and skittered across the floor.

"HEY!" Jean yelled, "STOP!" Her voice was enough to wake Sari, the baby's earmuffs having slipped during her mother's scuffle. Tiny brown eyes turned black before the baby let out a wail. "_SCOTT, WATCH OUT FOR THE BABY!_"

The sound of the cub's crying only brought out the animal in Zosia, and she hissed down at the X-Man below her, pinning his hands before he could push the button on his glasses. He only snarled back at her, kicking her off of him.

"Stronger than you look, needledick." Zoe hissed, launching again. This time, Scott grabbed her shoulders, using her momentum to swing her up and bring her back down, throwing her on top of the pile of towels where Sari lay.

Ororo screamed, but Jean reached out, using all of her power she could, holding the feral mother a mere two inches off of the squirming, crying bundle on the towels. "Oh, my god, the baby! You're going to hurt Sari!"

"Forget the baby!" Scott yelled as Jean dropped Zoe beside Sari on the towels. He tried to grab her by the ankle, but she yanked up, grabbing Sari and shoving the baby at Ororo. "Its only going to grow up to be another cold-blooded, human-hating KILLER! So what if it gets hurt?"

Zoe hissed at him, using her arm to shove Ororo, baby in her arms, down and back behind where she crouched.

"SCOTT!" Jean yelled, using her teke to hold him in place. Seeing it happen, Zoe launched at him, knocking him free of Jean's power, and swiping her claws across his chest, leaving five bloody grooves in their wake. "ZOE!"

The redheaded telepath reached out with as much power as she could muster, holding the two fighting mutants as tight as she could. She held a hand up to each, making sure her bonds were tight. Zoe roared at her, but she held firmly to the struggling feral.

"Jean, let me go." Scott demanded.

"No, because I can see what you are going to do if I do!" retorted the telekine, beginning to feel the depth of her exertions. "Good God, Scott- her daughter is in the room! She was on the towels you were about to throw Zoe on! You could have _killed_ her!"

"Oh piss!" cursed Scott, "It's just like its parents- it would have healed!"

"FUCK YOU!" roared Zoe, struggling harder, "IF YOU FUCKING COME NEAR MY CUB, YOU SELF-RIGHTEOUS MOTHERFUCK-_**Ack**_!"

"ZOE!" Jean cut the feral off with a mental squeeze. "Stop! Both of you, just stop!"

"Jean, I swear to all that is holy, if you don't let me go-" Zoe began, but cut herself off as Xavier rolled into the room.

"Am I going to have to follow the two of your around constantly?" he asked, his voice deep and agitated. Zoe's eyes focused on the floor near her feet in submission, watching him peripherally as he rolled up to her. "I told you that I wouldn't throw you and Sari out in the snow, but the two of you-"

"This can't go on, Professor!" Scott half-yelled, still held tight by Jean's bonds. "This-"

"Scott, calm down." Xavier gave his top student a once over, taking in the bloody marks across his chest, the rips on his shirt and pants. "You have lived here for more than half of your life, Scott." he began. "You have helped me help countless mutants to better their lives, to hide from those that would hunt them. We've taken in orphans and runaways from all walks of life. Why, with this one," He gestured to Zoe hanging limply from Jean's bonds. "Why with Zosia do you suddenly have a change of heart?"

"She's from the Brotherhood!" Scott half-yelled. "She's not here for peace or to be helped- she's-"

"She is waiting for spring to come so she can get the fuck out of here!" hissed the feral, coming alive across the room. "My cub-"

"Zosia!" the professor cut her off sharply, then looked back at Scott. "I really am disappointed in you, Scott. Do you hear that?" He gestured to the crying cub in Ororo's arms. Scott nodded once. "Well, thank God, my boy, because if you had thrown her mother on top of her, that child would never cry again."

"It's a feral." Scott scowled.

"Yes, but she doesn't yet have the healing capabilities of her mother!" The professor rolled his chair over to where Zosia was planted. "She would have died. You could have _killed_ Sari, Scott. She's innocent of all this, but she would have been punished for it."

"Let me go." Zoe said to Jean, her voice calmed, her head turned to watch Ororo trying to soothe her crying cub. "Jean."

"Let them go, Jean." commanded Xavier gently.

The redheaded telepath nodded, retracting her power over the two fighting mutants. She let out a yawn, tired from the exertion. Zoe streaked to Ororo, taking her cub back into her arms, holding Sari to her chest, tucking the baby's head under her chin. Sari hushed her cries down to whimpers, the smell of her mother soothing.

Her arms no longer burdened with the tiny infant, Ororo walked across the room to where Zoe's phone had slid across the floor. She picked it up, turning it over in her hands, then pushed it into her back pocket for safe keeping.

"What was that?" Scott asked, his head turned to watch her.

"Just my-" began the windrider.

"Zosia's phone." Xavier said to him, meeting the surprised feral's eyes. "I knew about it."

"Damned telepaths." she scowled lightly, dropping to sit on the floor, lifting her shirt and setting Sari to nurse. "Nosy things."

"Actually, Zoe," said Charles, amusedly, "I overheard Rogue telling Bobby about it. No snooping necessary." When the feral narrowed her eyes, he continued. "She wasn't spreading gossip; she was only telling him she wished she had one like it."

"You are allowing her to have a cellphone?" Scott asked, indignant. "She can call the rest of the Brotherhood with it! How can we protect the students if all of the Brotherhood knows where we are?"

"You dumbass." Zoe rolled her eyes. "Do you know how many of your students have been sent here **BY** Eric? Didn't you know that he helped the _professeur_ to start this place as a school?" She held out her hand to Ororo, and gave the weather witch a smile when her phone was given back to her.

"Does she really need to be able to contact the enemy?" Scott balked. "I can't believe you are allowing her to-"

"Contact her husband?" ended the professor. "Sari's father? Zoe's mate? Yes, Scott, I am allowing her to have contact with him."

"He could come back!"

"HE IS COMING BACK!" roared Zosia, eyes black again. "We're here waiting for him to come back for us!" She grit her teeth to cut off her words, turned to look back down at her nursing cub.

"Scott, I will hear no more of this from you." Charles said, watching the man's face. He turned back to the feral. "And you, I'm sure we can come to some kind of compromise with regards to your phone and contacting Victor."

She eyed him suspiciously. "How do you mean?"

"I will leave you alone about your phone so long as you report to us whenever you are contacted by anyone on it and whenever you contact someone with it. By call or by instant message."

A scowl. "No dice. I may look like a child, but I am an adult. I won't be told-"

"Well, how about you just let us know if someone contacts you?"

"How about you pretend you don't know I have a phone and I'll pretend not to want to rip Scotty's throat out with my claws?"

"Because I doubt you could keep your end of the bargain with your temper." returned Charles, a little amused. "How about this then? You trust Storm more than anyone else in this room, don't you?"

Zosia's scowl deepened, her eyes still black. She turned her eyes to the windrider, then nodded once. "Yes."

"Then why don't you let Ororo know if you are contacted by anyone, and she can weigh whether or not it is worth letting us know about?"

The feral continued to scowl, thinking over his bargain. After a moment, she decided to agree for now- if only to shut them all up- and she nodded once in compliance.

"Alright then. Problem solved for now."

"She could lie and not say a word about anything!" Scott argued, becoming agitated again. "You act like she is this innocent little victim but she belongs to SABRETOOTH! She's just as evil and heartless as he is!"

"Scott, that is enough!" Charles voice echoed through the mutants in the room, unused to him raising his voice. "I will not hear any more of this! You two will learn to get along or I will _make_ you get along!" He turned to Scott. "I will not have this discord. Go and calm down. Now."

The fearless leader set his jaw, nodded once, and stalked out of the room. Jean quickly followed him, worried.

Down the hallway was a loud boom, then the sounds of whirring machines. Zoe's eyes widened slightly. "What is that noise?"

"The Danger Room starting up." answered Ororo.

"What is the Danger Room?"

* * *

Like it? Love it? Tell me in a review!

The Lady Mage


	12. Chapter 12

Hello and welcome back to Of Ferity! I hate how life gets in the way of the things we want to do most. It also kinda sucks that it takes quite a bit of heartbreak to get me to write much of anything anymore, but at least I am here. I have more to come- hopefully quick, but how often have I said that. LOL Thanks to Leonaria Dragonbane as usual- I haven't spoken to her in a long time but she has helped me work on this story over the years, and I appreciate it very much! :)

Anyway, read, enjoy, and review! THNX!

Disclaimer: I didn't kidnap him... I lack the motivation right now to hold onto anyone- least of all Victor. I mean, really: do you know how hard it would be to contain that manbeast? Not that it wouldn't be worth it, but.. yeah.

* * *

FERITY: (fehr-ih-tee) - (noun) - 1.) The state of being wild or untamed. 2.) Savagery; Ferocity.

* * *

"I'm truly sorry, _professeur_." After a brief explanation from Ororo on the use of the Danger Room, Zoe managed to catch up with the wheelchair-bound headmaster as he reached the elevator up to the ground floors. She pushed the button for the first floor, then waited for the door to slide shut before finally turning to face her new, agitated leader with a chastised expression.

"Sorry or not, this behavior is disruptive and unnecessary." he returned cooly.

The feral only nodded, still cuddling her nursing cub to her chest. In the blink of an eye, she was crouched beside his chair, the vision of humble subdued servant. "_Si vous plait, professeur_." she murmured softly, her temple against his knee. "I mean no harm- unprovoked."

Charles sighed, seemingly resigned. "You let him get to you." he spoke softly, his voice losing its icy edge. "That is something you must work on. This temper of your's is going to get you into a heap of trouble one day."

Zoe nodded once, "I still believe my anger will subside. Motherhood has changed my personality in more ways than one. Victor told me this was normal." She paused. ".. Instinct, he says. The more anger, the harder one fights for their cub in times of danger perhaps? I do not know, but it has only been a week." Her head lifted, curls parting away from her face as she turned to look up at him. "You didn't know me before any of this. I was just dropped on your doorstep because Sari and I are too weak to go with Victor this time."

"I understand his leaving you here for safety," Charles began, giving her a pat on the head. "But I daresay you aren't weak."

* * *

It had been a long week, driving up through New York, crossing into Canada, and making his way up to LaSalle. He'd met with a few of his old . . 'contacts' here and there, picking up a few easy hits, leaving a number he could be reached at for more. Afterwards, he'd ditched the shitty, old beater truck for a nice, roomy Ford F-150- one with a _working_ radio. It had then been time to get the hell out of dodge- and out of dodge he went. The sooner he got to one of his old hides, the better.

The simple cabin had stood the test of time for the last sixty plus years it had sat here in the wilderness, and with another layer of paint, maybe some new shingles on the roof, and a new front door with a little curtain in the window, the place should be just as livable as it ever was. It was relatively tiny compared to the majority of the places he considered his hideouts, but this had been the first piece of property he had ever owned, and he still called it home. Maybe it was the particular patch of woodland with its animals for hunting, maybe it was the little stream just down the pathway with its clear water and good fishing. Maybe it was just that the cozy-but-wild little shack sat in a way that endeared it to him.

This was the middle of nowhere- at least a good ninety minutes drive from anywhere even remotely populated. Unless you happened to notice the little overgrown road turning off to go down the ridge, no one would know his cabin existed. No light or electricity, save for a gasoline generator, no running water, and most importantly- no paper trail. His cabin was invisible to the world.

Victor Creed dropped his maroon duffel bag into the snow beside the porch. The three steps up to the little covered porch still looked fairly sound- at least through the layer of white fluff coating them- but nearly half of the boards that made the floor of the porch were warped, twisted, or bowing. The whole thing would most likely need replacing. The front door had once been painted bright red, but now was faded to a dulled amber, and hung pitifully from one rusted hinge. What was once a comfortable, over-sized wooden rocking chair was now a pile of intricately carved firewood beside the front door. The feral scowled lightly.

'_Okay, I take it back. Test of time, my fuckin' ass_.' With a roll of his dark eyes, he gingerly made his way up the three little steps, and across the rotting porch. He eyed the door in front of him, reaching out with one sharp claw to tap it. The ancient hinge gave way with a little groan, and the door fell back into the cabin with a loud crash. Inside, somewhere, something glass cracked, and he growled to himself.

Maybe he should call it a day and go rent a motel room for a couple of weeks. It wasn't as though he didn't have the money for it, but damnit, he was stubborn. This was his _home_! His!

Inside, the little shanty's layout was very simple. The front door led into a long livingroom. Rocks from the river three miles down the hiking trail had decorated the short wall at the far end with a giant rock fireplace. An old couch- one that a person now would need a tetanus shot before daring to sit on- was in front of the great fireplace. The ruined remains of a coffee table lay on the ground between them, and a small bookshelf sat against the far wall to keep the moths fed.

Ahead was the kitchen with its wood-burning stove. He walked into its doorway, minding the creaky floorboards, and took in the mess before him.

'_Fucking badgers_.'

The table still stood strong, hand carved chairs to match, and the wood stove still stood up under its pipe in the corner. His old coffee kettle was faithfully hanging from its nail beside the little window over the washbasin sink. His white claw-foot bathtub was sitting against the far wall, but its drainage pipe would need checking later for sure. Jars of preserved fruits and vegetables, what had been jars of dried meats from his hunting and dried herbs from his garden, had once been in the little wooden hutch by the back door. Now, most lay broken just before it, their innards eaten by no doubt the same scavenging animals that had broken in through the badger-sized hole in the backdoor.

Again, his scowl deepened as he turned to the back bedroom. What had once been a lovely hunter green duvet with matching Egyptian cotton sheets on the king-sized bed was now nothing more than a giant rat's nest. The frame, as he tested it with his boot, was still plenty sound, but no way in hell was he sleeping on that nasty mattress. He'd camp on the floor first! His dresser that held a few changes of clothes from long ago had been pilfered by mice as well. All the cloth in the room was useless.

He almost groaned at the workload ahead of him, ticking off everything that had to be done, from the most important to the least. '_Shit…new roof, new planks for the porch, new doors - preferably metal this time, new mattress, gotta check the chimney…Only a good seven hours of daylight left._' With a swift, but fluid, motion, he pulled his satellite phone from the pocket of his coat, and flipped it open. He hit the seventh number on speed dial, and waited for it to be picked up while he walked back to the kitchen.

"…yeah, this is Creed." he said when someone finally answered. "I'm going to be on a little bit of a sabbatical. I'll be out of reach for an undisclosed amount of time." He paused, listening to the other voice. "Yeah, yeah. Transfer the amounts onta the card- I'll retrieve them soon enough. . . On second thought, put three quarters on this card, and the rest on the other one. . . That should do it." He reached out, twisting the old cans around on the shelf above where the glass jars had been. "Don't call me- I'll call you." he finally growled, cutting the snippy voice off mid-sentence. The phone was tucked away, and he lifted a can of chipped beef from the top shelf.

1983.

'_Goddamn, it's been a long, fucking time since I've been here._'

* * *

"Look out!"

The feral ducked her head at the last second as a red laser beam streaked across the space of air she'd just occupied. It circled across the building, destroying the line of ovens and display cases, and cutting the roof clear off its walls. With a muttered curse, the feral skittered on all fours to the side window she'd crawled into the building through as the ceiling began to cave in behind her. Jumping through, she tucked and rolled across the little alley into the opened door of the shop next to the destroyed bakery.

"You won't get away this time!"

Zosia growled, glancing around her for a source of escape. Movement to her left caught her eye, and she immediately snapped into a defensive crouch.

"Caught you now." Mystique slunk down from the corner of the ceiling she had been braced in, her movements as fluid as ever. She slid down into the same crouch as the feral, ready to launch herself.

Before the blue woman could move forward, a bright red light filled the room as Scott stepped inside beside Zosia, and blasted Mystique in the chest. The metamorph was forced back through the wall behind her with a scream of pain. Without a pause to think, the redhead had Scott on his stomach on the dirty floor, and her claws sliced into his neck, just pausing before snapping his spine as the reality of the situation came to her.

"Turn it off!" Zoe yelled, scrambling off the dying XMan in front of her, flicking the blood from her fingertips, backing against the wall. "Turn it OFF!" Alerted to her location by her screams, she could hear the running footsteps of her hunters in the alleyway outside the door. "I can't do this! Ro, SHUT IT OFF!"

"She's in there! Get her!" The unmistakable voice of Mortimer, with his rich cockney accent, yelled from outside. There was a lion's growl, a short roar that made her spine tingle and the hair on her arms raise up, and then there he was. '_Victor_.' Standing in the doorway, his face was mean and dirty.

"RO!" she yelled again. "GOD DAMNIT, I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!" Victor sneered at her, then his expression turned into a deep, satisfied smirk. He took two steps into the room towards her. "Fuck . . . "

"Well, what do we have here?" he asked, flaring his nostrils to draw in her scent. "A little, lost kitten?"

"Victor Thomas William Creed, I swear to fucking God-" She growled. He took another step. "ORORO!" Another step. She struggled to remember the pass-phrase Ororo had told her to stop the exercise. "Stop program!" Another step. "End program 1-2 . . End program 3-2-1!"

There was a loud whirring sound from above them. Victor and Warts froze in their steps, then disintegrated into the floor. The walls of the bakery dropped, leaving Zoe alone on a white floor in a sea of white nothingness. And then she blinked and was back in the silver Danger Room again.

In a flash, she was on her feet, out the silver door, and up the stairs to the observation deck above the Danger Room. "Ro?" The room was empty. The feral scowled, perking her ears. She could hear Sari fussing down the hallway, so down the hallway she went until she came to an open office with Jean's name on the door. Inside, Ororo bounced Sari on her shoulder while Scott held a paper for her to read in front of her.

"You left." Zoe accused playfully, one eyebrow arched as she leaned against the doorjamb, arms crossed over her midriff. "Next time I'll write that pass-phrase on my arm if you're not going to hang around."

Scott glanced at her. "Sorry, kiddo. I didn't realize you needed babysitting."

"Kiddo? Babysitting?" Blue eyes narrowed darkly, but Zoe only smirked. "Eh, perhaps now and again." She shrugged, taking her weight off the door's framework to come collect her daughter. "Trust me: I don't mind not having much of an aging process."

"I'm sorry, Zee." Ororo said, handing the infant back to its mother. "One of the kids had an accident and I had to find the right paper to be filled out for the insurance." She cocked a smile. "Jean keeps her office a bit of a mess."

"Where is Jean?" asked the feral, cuddling her cub.

"Resetting Wanda's arm." answered Scott. "Jean sent me for that paper, and I have no idea where to begin to look in here for it." He turned his attention to a half-hazardly stacked pile of papers on top of the desk, sliding it back farther before it could slip off. "I don't know how Storm has any idea of where to look for it in here, either."

"Practice." was Ororo's answer. "Lots of practice." She gave Zoe a glance over. "Did you have a problem with the session?"

"I.. I.. You could say that."

"How'd you kill me this time?" Scott asked dryly, trying to keep a sense of humor.

".. Exsanguination." The feral absently flicked inexistent blood off her free hand. "But I left your spine intact."

Scott snorted.

"So long as it is in there and not out here." Jean whizzed into the room, peeling a paper apron off as she came. She opened the top drawer of the desk, pulled out a hot pink folder, then pulled the needed insurance form from the back of its stack of papers. "Here we are." she mumbled, grabbing a pen before breezing back out of the room.

"Good thing you guys don't have a cleaning lady." Zoe spoke amusedly. "Two minutes into this room and Jean would never find a thing ever again."

Ororo snorted with a nod. "True. Very true."

* * *

Short but sweet! Review please!

LadyMage


	13. Chapter 13

Greetings from The Lady Mage. :) Was bored so I fixed this one up. It's a bit short, but hopefully still a good read!

Ready, enjoy, review!

DISCLAIMER: If you don't know it by now, you never will...

* * *

FERITY: (fehr-ih-tee) - (noun) - 1.) The state of being wild or untamed. 2.) Savagery; Ferocity.

* * *

With a grunt of resignation, Victor knelt down and began to pick up bits of broken glass from the floor, tossing them in a rusty old coffee can next to what was left of the back door. The coffee can was quickly filled, and set out on the porch to start a trash pile. He'd have to haul the mattresses out of both bedrooms before dark, and check the chimney flue so he could build a fire in the fireplace. Even in his furs and trench coat, it was getting nippy.

After a long pause to assess the rest of the mess, and he set the phone down on the dusty table for safe keeping while he hauled the large box of trash out to the front porch. He set it on the snow-covered boards, and turned to go back inside. Two steps from what was once a front door, as he set his weight down into the middle of a straight, long board, he heard a loud ***crack***. The next thing the feral knew, his leg was buried into the porch up to his knee; a large splintered piece jabbing painfully into the muscle of his calf.

"Mother-fuck!" he hissed, surprised. Anger quickly flooded his system. "God-damn, _no gute fucking schwache Bretter! UNBRACHBAR! Ich sollte diesen vollstandigen fucking Platz herunterreissen und piss auf fen fucking Splittern!_ (God-damn, no good fucking weak boards! USELESS! I should tear this whole fucking place down, and piss on the fucking splinters!)"

*-**_Ding-ding-ding... ding-ding-ding-_***

He glanced into the cabin, listening to the ringing phone on the table. "_Mich bumsen laufend…_(Fuck me runnin'…)" With an agitated grunt, and a hiss, he jerked his leg up out of the rotten board, kicking the rest of it down beneath the porch in frustration. "That better not be that yellow-tailed son of a bitch at the bank..." He sprang to his feet, and ran back to the door, but the phone had stopped ringing.

He passed through the living room and into the kitchen to the table. Grabbing up the phone without checking the message- if it was important, they'd call him back- he carried the phone into the living room to begin working on the place. He knew it would take a few hours to fix all the patching of holes on the inside and outside, and hoped to have it done while there was light enough to see. It would be pitch black tonight with the snow and the trees close to the cabin shutting out the moonlight.

It didn't take him long to get all the tattered curtain remnants out of all the rooms, carry out all the bedding, then get rid of the tattered couch, ottoman, and armchair. The feral tossed out the books, still in their case, and then followed them with the rest any fabrics in the house. Nothing was untouched- and even if it had been, it was much too old to be of good use now. He flipped the first bedroom's mattress up on its side, and quickly scooted it out to be thrown in the snow.

Finally, he came to the back bedroom, and tossed the mattress up on its side. He dug his claws into the corner for his handhold, quickly jerking it towards the bedroom door. He'd not moved two feet when he heard a strange sound coming from under his hands. Looking down at the side of the mattress, he could swear he'd seen the striped material move.

"The fuck . . ?"

With a growl, he raked his claws across the material, shredding the mattress open. Like clotted blood from a festering wound, little, dark furry creatures spilled from the slash in the material- scattering to the far corners of the room for a place to hide.

Victor was off the floor before the first coon had hit it, standing atop the trunk at the end of the bed frame like a startled housewife, choking off a panicked roar-come-growl as he watched the seemingly dozens of raccoons give up their hiding place in his old mattress. "God-fucking-damn it!" He yelled, watching them disband in disbelief. "_Wo das Bumsen alle du tat, kommen Pelzbastard von?!_ (Where the fuck did all you furry bastards come from?!)"

The frightened mammals paid him little mind in their panicked rush for escape. Most of them had been smart enough to find the door out, and as Victor leaped from the trunk through the door into the living room, he made certain of the fact. The small cabin was alive and loud with the sound of their displeased chittering, but he tuned it out, grabbing the old broom from the kitchen to chase the last dozen or so from what was going to be his bedroom. Currently, Victor was having second thoughts as to whether this, or the living room floor, would be a better choice right about now.

He was leaning towards the floor in front of the fireplace. It'd be good and warm when he got around to making a fire. He scowled, giving the last big coon a good, hard swat with the broom on its way out the front door. "_Das Bumsen heraus erhalten, du uberwucherte Flussratte!_ (Get the fuck out, you overgrown river rat!)" He roared after it, watching it trot into the tree line with a strange sense of accomplishment.

With an expression akin to disgust, he went back to the bedroom door, glaring at the mattress stuffing scattered all over the floor. He was going to need a really big dustpan.

'_Ugh. Still so much to do._'

* * *

The sound of a bath being drawn soothed her somewhat frazzled nerves. She had only been in the Danger Room a handful of times, and every time had been more of a challenge for her to side with the so-called right side for the training exercises. The first of her sessions had been simple capture the flag excursions, but had been too simple to hold her interest long. Next came fighting with the team of Xavier's X-Men against invisible or robotic foes, but they, too, were not enough.

Zoe held her hand under the tub's faucet, making sure that the temperature was warm enough to relax her muscles. She wondered for a moment if Scott had suggested her session number today just to see if she could fight against her own family. "Dick." she muttered to herself with a roll of her blue eyes. Letting the tub finish filling, the feral walked into the bedroom to disrobe, pausing to check on her dozing cub on the bed. Sari sighed softly in her sleep, her lips mimicking nursing as she slumbered peacefully.

A knock on the bedroom door threatened to wake the baby. "Zee?" Rogue's voice was quiet as usual, but not as shy as it had been a week before.

"Come in." called the feral, pulling her shirt back over her head.

The skunk-haired teen entered the room, her hands full of books and papers, and shut the door behind herself with her foot. She gave the feral a smile before setting her books on the little desk by the door. "Do you mind if I do my homework up here?" she asked. "You know I love Jubes and all, but she won't shut up about that new boy- the teleporter- and I can't get a thing done!"

Zoe snorted, amused. "_Sicher, sicher_." she gestured to the desk chair. "Go ahead. I'm going to take a bath while you're up here. Mind the cub; she's sleeping."

Rogue glanced to the baby on the bed, and covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh, sorry!" she said through them, her words muffled. "I didn't mean to be so loud."

"She's fine." shrugged the feral. "This place is a hell of a lot quieter than our home was. Go on before Jubilation finds you." While Rogue sat to do her homework, Zosia went back to her bathwater, quickly undressing and slipping into the hot water.

* * *

Pulling his phone from his pocket, Victor gave its screen a light tap before clicking on his messages. Still no new messages. He scowled. He hadn't heard from his mate in a a few days; he didn't like it. It was understandable, perhaps even forgivable, that she didn't want to let them know she had a phone, or maybe she thought he was too busy to be bothered. Hell, he had been busy. 'One, two, three, four... four marks this week.'

* * *

***_-Kiss me, k-k-kiss me, Infect me with your lovin, fill me with your poison- Take me, t-t-take me, Wanna be a victim, ready for abduction- Boy, you're an alien- Your touch so foreign- It's supernatural- Extraterrestrial-_***

Zosia could hear her phone ringing under her pillow from her place in the hot bathwater. She was torn between leaving her relaxing cocoon and checking her phone for a split second before Rogue chose for her.

"Want your phone?" the girl asked absently, scribbling an answer into her workbook.

The feral smiled to herself. "Do you mind?" There was a soft shuffling before Rogue's hand appeared against the baseboard against the door and gently slid the phone across the room to rest against the side of the bathtub. "_Danke_, Marie."

"Anytime." returned the teen, going back to her studies.

"-_Boo._-" was the message that glowed across her screen once she'd dried her hand on a washcloth to pick up the phone. 'Victor.' She smiled, quickly typing a message.

* * *

***_-Ride- Dirty, sweet, and filthy- Ride- Beat your hands on me-_***

"-_Boo who?_-"

Victor smirked, amused. "-_What are you crying for, frail? I'm right here._-"

* * *

Zosia scowled, dropping her phone beside the tub to resume her hot bath. '_Frail, my ass._'

* * *

Waiting for a response, Victor tucked his phone back into his pocket. There was still information to call, find a number to a lumber yard, place an order. He needed shingles for the roof, some caulking for the walls, couple cases of drinking water, and about three times that many cases of beer if he was going to survive this bullshit. The generator out back looked rusted to hell, so that was another thing to replace. Then, light bulbs - hell, probably some electrical wire, too - non-perishable groceries, and some economy size trash bags would be a good idea. Once he got the place cleaned, he would worry about furniture.

He had a fireplace, a bathtub, a running stream not five minutes away with clean water, a wood-burning stove to heat the water, and to cook some of the food in the truck. There was a sleeping bag, and several furs and leathers with his pack to keep his bed warm and relatively comfortable. It was doable, but it was going to be such a pain in the ass. The tall feral rolled his eyes, pulled his satophone from his pocket, and dialed a number.

* * *

Short chapter, I know. More to come. Review please. :)

Lady Mage


	14. Chapter 14

Greetings from The Lady Mage! Here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy!

READ, ENJOY, REVIEW!

Disclaimer: After this one, I don't want him anymore... LOL You'll see.

* * *

FERITY: (fehr-iht-ee) - n.- 1.) The state of being wild or untamed. 2.) The state of being savage; ferocity.

* * *

Lunchtime had come and gone, and after two cans of cooked salmon, and two boxes of saltines to go with it for his dinner, he was still hungry. It had taken more out of him than he had expected to unload the cabin, and to rip up all the boards that would need to be replaced. He'd gone up to the roof and pulled away the rotted shingles, and then tossed a tarp over the holes. He'd walked to the stream with a five gallon bucket, and brought back enough water to clean the dust away from the stove and table, as well as from the shelves within the cabinet so that when he went to town the next day, he'd have room to put the provisions he would buy. He'd also brought another bucket of water up to clean out the dirty bathtub, and check the drain. Happily, he saw that despite the length of time he had been away from the cabin, that the pipe had not become clogged - at least not enough that the tub wouldn't drain; he was looking forward to getting good and clean before going to bed that night.

Pausing for a short break, he reached into his pocket for his trusty phone, taking a seat on the edge of the kitchen table and clicking out a message.

* * *

*_**-Kiss me, k-k-kiss me- Infect me with your lovin, fill me with you poison-**_*

Zoe snatched her phone from the desktop before Jubilation could grab it, and looked at its screen. '_-I see how it is: you don't even MISS me.-_' The redheaded feral scowled. "Ass."

Jubilation, having watched with rapt attention since she'd heard the shiny phone ring, raised an eyebrow. She and Rogue were sprawled across the floor with their math and biology books open, working on their homework under the close eye of both the feral in the rocking chair and the windrider grading papers at the desk. "You, like, okay?"

"Fine." Zoe returned cooly, rocking gently with her cub asleep at her breast. With one hand, she clicked back a message.

* * *

***_-Ride- Dirty, sweet, and filthy- Ride-_***

'_-What. The. Fuck.-_' Victor snorted as he read his message, then chuckled.

'_-You didn't text me back for like four hours, frail.-_'

* * *

"Frail, huh?" Zoe raised one eyebrow, then tossed her phone onto the side table next to her rocking chair.

"Who is it?" Ororo paused her grading to meet the feral's eyes.

"Vic."

"Oh. Worth telling about?"

"Not really, mon moka." returned the feral. "Nothing unusual."

***_-Kiss me, k-k-kiss me- Infect me with your lovin, fill me with your poison- Take me, t-t-take me-_***

Zoe picked the little phone back up, watching the winged envelope deliver its message. It scrolled across her screen: '_-What are you wearing?-_'

'_-Seriously?-_'

'_-Yes, seriously.-_'

'_-NOTHING-_' The feral chuckled, clicking send with a delicately clawed thumb.

* * *

"Nothing, huh?" Victor raised an eyebrow before clicking back his answer and tucking away the phone.

* * *

'_-Pics?-_'

The redheaded feral snorted, regathering the attention of her comrades.

"What'cha doin?" asked Rogue, closing her math workbook and tucking it into a binder.

"Nothing, Marie. Just playing around."

* * *

***_-Ride- Dirty, sweet, and filthy- Ride- Beat your hands on me- Ri-_***

'_-JK, Lion. Jeans and one of your old t's.-_'

The blonde behemoth scowled again. '_-Which shirt?-_'

'_-LOL Guess.-_'

'_-Minx. Which?-_'

'_-Black security. Your name.-_'

* * *

_Being a mere half hour until midnight, the carnival swiftly dwindled down from its hearty throng until there were only a handful of patrons left. Where an hour earlier it had been difficult to move from one attraction to the next, now the thoroughfares were nearly deserted. The grass, trampled between the booths and littered with empty popcorn bags, soda cups, and cotton candy cones, gleamed with dew in the light of the strung lanterns above the thoroughfare._

_The couple walked together, hand in hand, their attention on each other as they passed by the closing attractions and carnival games. Wearing blue jeans and dark hoodies, the two staved off the rising chill in the air. He towered over her, holding her protectively to his side as they meandered, his hand resting on the side of her swollen belly._

_"Guess the little lady's weight, win a prize!" offered one carnie as they moved past his booth. He gestured to his large scale and makeshift wall of stuffed prizes. "Within two pounds wins the big prize!"_

_The blonde feral paused his step with a sly smirk._

_His mate gave his chest a hard slap, stepping ahead of him. "Don't you dare, Victor!"_

_Victor chuckled, pulling her back beside him. "Calm down, Zoe, calm down." he murmured gently, placing his arm back around her body._

_"I AM calm." she returned, poking him in the ribs. The feral allowed him to steer them towards the far end of the thoroughfare. "I believe our evening is drawing to a close, _mein lieb_. Everyone is leaving."_

_"Perhaps." he shrugged, walking past a large booth full of souvenirs._

_"Wait."_

_The souvenir booth was packed full with tables of jewelry, watches, and sunglasses. Racks of shirts hung packed tight together in every color of the rainbow. Glass mugs and cups sat on shelves alongside shot glasses and trucker hats. A sign along the back wall announced: "_5-Minute Screen Printing! C$17.99 with purchase!_" A lone worker sat in a folding chair beside the screen printing machine, sipping on a large soda from the food stands nearby, uninterested in customers._

_"Come on." Zoe pulled Victor gently by the hand into the crowded booth. The blonde behemoth let himself be pulled, turning sideways to fit through the tiny aisle between the tables and the hanging shirts. "Let's get a souvenir."_

* * *

-_'The one from the fair?'_-

-_'You remembered. :)'_-

Victor snorted. -'_Bitch. Stole my shirt?_'-

-'_Among other things..._'-

-'_Pic_'-

-'_Can't._'-

A scowl. -'_Why not?_'-

-'_Sari's nursing._'-

-'_PIC, Woman._'-

-'_LOL, FINE._'-

* * *

All he had left to do was check the damned chimney flue for any clogs. He had better hurry, too, because it was getting dark fast outside, and the heat was leaving just as quickly as the light. Victor set the phone down on the kitchen table, leaving his perch to run out to the truck for a flashlight. When he came back inside, the phone was chiming out, announcing a new email. The red Maglite was set down and the phone picked up.

Someone must have been in the room with Zoe; the picture was a closeup of her and the cub. Sari was at her mother's breast, and Zee's head was turned down to face her. His mate's auburn curls fell down over her arm, a waterfall of flame covering his cub's tiny legs. Zee work his black shirt- several sizes too big for her- and had fixed it so he could see where she'd had his name printed on the black fabric above the strip of flesh over Sari's head. His tag hung around Zoe's neck, but his ring was on her finger, cupped around his cub's body. The only thing that could have made the picture any more perfect was if his hand had been cupped over her's- his arm thrown around them both, holding Zee while she fed their daughter.

The blonde feral sighed, cutting it off with a grunt, and saved the picture to his phone. As soon as it saved, she sent him another picture. This one was a closeup of Sari. The tiny cub was still nursing, but he could see most of her face. From this angle, he could see her little hand with her little claws, curled up under her chin. Her eyes were open, deep amber, staring contentedly towards the camera with a sleepy expression. It had only been a week, but he could swear she was getting bigger. With a quick click of claws, he saved Sari's picture, too.

* * *

Jubilee gave Rogue's shoulder a sharp poke with a neon yellow fingernail, gathering her roommate's attention. The skunk-striped girl turned to look at her, laying her notes in her lap. Having her attention, Jubilee discreetly gestured to where the feral mother sat across the room. She had been playing with the little phone in her lap for the better part of the last half hour, curled up in the rocking chair with Sari. The feral had Ororo come and take two pictures about ten minutes ago, but hadn't said why or what she was doing with them.

"What?" Rogue mouthed to Jubilee.

"Like, who is she talking to?" whispered Jubes, eyeing the little turquoise phone resting on Zoe's knee. Jubilation had never seen a phone quite like it before so it must be either really old or very new. Either way, she was dying to see it. Zoe had a lot of interesting things- clothes, shoes, jewelry- the phone was just part of it. She had helped the feral to unpack it, after all. The feline didn't own a stitch of clothing that wasn't name brand, now a pair of shoes that didn't cost an arm and a leg to the middle class. She didn't act like a snooty rich person, so where had she come from?

"I don't know." whispered Marie, poking Jubilee back in the ribs. "Mind your own beeswax, Jubes." she teased.

"What kind of a phone is that?"

"I don't know."

"Well, like, what kind do you think?"

Marie rolled her eyes with a smirk. "The cellular kind? If you're so curious, go ask her."

Jubilee stuck her tongue out at the smirking girl before turning to see Zoe. "Who are you talking to, Zoe?" she asked innocently.

"_Pardun_?" The feral glanced at then teen.

"Who are you talking to?"

"Victor."

"Oh." Jubilee scowled. "Who's that?"

The feral watched her curiously. "Sari's father... Why?"

"Just curious. What kind of a phone is that?"

"The cellular kind." Zoe said with a chuckle. "If you were half as interested in that science book in your lap as you are with the things in this room, you wouldn't have a C in geology." Ororo laughed softly, watching the feral move to lay the cub in her bassinet.

"Oh, I just asked!" Jubilee laughed, throwing her hands up. "It was an innocent question."

"Nosy, innocent question." amended Marie.

Zoe settled Sari under a plush pink blanket in her bassinet, patting her little back until she was sure the cub was asleep. "Questions are nosy things." said the feral with a shrug. "It's a satellite phone, Jubilee. Like the kind mountain climbers use."

"Huh?"

"It gets its signal from satellites instead of from towers. I have signal everywhere in the world- from the snowy cliffs of Mount Everest to the depths of Jean's medical bay."

"Cool! Never heard of it."

"Mountain climbers take them with them so that they have signal in case something happens." Zoe returned to her rocking chair. "I think that is what they were designed for anyways."

"Now that the baby is asleep," Ororo began, straightening her stack of graded homework, "Will you help me carry all this to my office?" The weather witch gestured to the two big baskets of paperwork and books at her feet. "I think I'm finally caught up."

"Sure." The feral lifted the heavier basket onto her shoulder while Ororo hefted the other onto her arm and opened the door. Zoe glanced at Marie. "Please don't wake the cub."

"We won't."

* * *

With the flashlight from the truck, he crouched down on the hearth, laying out a dirty piece of linen from the bedroom to lie on - soot was so hard to get out of leather and hair. He peered up into the pitch black of the chimney, and flipped on the flashlight. The second the beam came on, the light bulb burst, settling him back into darkness.

* * *

***_-Kiss me, k-k-kiss me- Infect me with your lovin, fill me with you poison-_***

The two teens jumped as Zoe's phone vibrated to life on the desk. Jubilee was the first to react, and hopped over to the rocking chair. As she sat down she lifted the little blue phone into her hands, looking it over before focusing on the screen. "Ooooh, a text message." she chirped, clicking the screen.

"Jubes, put it down!" Rogue hissed. "Zoe's gonna-"

"Oh, come on! I'm not hurting anything!" Jubilee cut her off with a wave of her hand. "Hmm... -'_Remind me to kill whoever invented the Maglite._'-... Weird." She typed out a reply. "Okay... What's his, like, name again?"

"Jubes, put the phone down!" Marie demanded.

"Ooops- sent it." The Chinese girl winced, looking guilty. "I was just playing- I didn't really mean to-" She was about to set the phone back down when it vibrated in her hand. Guilt suddenly forgotten, she looked back at the screen. "Hmm: -'_Who is with you?_'-"

"Jubes!"

"What? Come on, Rogue! He won't even know!" Her fingers flew across the screen's keyboard again. "There: -'_Just my friends.'-_" She looked at Rogue. "Innocent enough?"

"You're going to get us killed! Zoe will _not_ like that you-" Rogue was cut off by the sound of another text message. "Jubilation..."

"Friends who?... Hmm, let's see: Rogue, and Jub-"

The older teen reached out, snatching the phone away from the younger girl. "Don't give him our names! Zoe's husband is a mercenary!" hissed the girl, glancing at the phone as the 'Message Sent' banner crossed the screen. "Oh, crap."

"What?" Jubilee leaned forward to see. "Uh-oh, Chika- you done sent that one!"

"Tell me you didn't have my name in it."

"No, just the first-"

***_-Kiss me- k-k-kiss me, Infect me with your lovin, Fill me with your poison- Take me- t-t-take me, Wanna be a victim, Ready for abduction- Boy, you're an alien, You touch so foreign, It's supernatural- Extraterrestrial... Kiss me- k-k-kiss me-_***

"Shit, Jubes! He's CALLING!" the girl exclaimed. "He must have known it wasn't Zoe!" She glared at Jubilee, and the girl sat solemnly, staring wide-eyed at the phone in Rogue's hands. "What do I do?"

"Answer it." Jubes said. "If you don't, it'll just make him mad, won't it?"

"I don't care!" Rogue hissed, holding her hand over the speaker on the back of the phone, muffling the ring tone. "I'm not talking to him!"

"Oh, come on." Jubes rolled her eyes. After a few seconds, the ringing stopped, and the tone sounded to signal another message. "What did he say?"

Rogue glanced down at the screen. "It says, 'Answer the fucking phone.'"

"Well, text him back before he calls again!"

"What do I say?" Rogue hissed, looking at the screen. After a few seconds, she shoved it back to Jubes. "You do it!"

The petite girl shrugged, taking the phone back into her lap, and tapped out a message with the comfort of someone who was used to the action. "There: -'_I can't answer the phone. People here. Don't want them to hear you.'-_" The girl typed out another message. "Okay- ='_Of course I'm not ashamed of you. I was J/K.'-_" When Rogue nodded, she sent it on, waiting for the next.

"Um . . . -'_What is Warts' middle name?_'-" She gave Rogue a nervous look. "Um . . . who is Warts?"

"Toad . . . Crap . . . I should know this one . . . " Rogue scratched her head, trying to draw up any knowledge of the mutant she received from Magneto. "It's either Stanley . . or Seamus." She smirked. "Ask him why he wants to know!"

"Okay." Jubes said, sending the message. A good two minutes passed before the phone chimed again. Jubes smirked at her friend's cleverness, before she looked at the screen. The expression drained from her, turning into a worried frown. "Problem . . . "

"Hmm?" Rogue asked. "What?"

"Any chance you sucked up any German on Liberty Island?" She held out the phone for Rogue to see. "What the heck does that mean?"

"-'_Welche Farbe ist mein Haar?'-_ . . . Which . . colour is my . . hair. What colour is his hair." Rogue translated from the unknown depths of her mind. "He knows it isn't Zoe."

"Pishaw- how do you know this isn't some kind of code they just use? Or a game." Jubes asked with a smirk. "What colour is his hair?"

"Well, he's blonde." answered the older teen. "But you have to say it like Zoe."

"And that would be . . ?"

"Honey. Honey coloured . . . Um- _Honig_. H-O-N-I-G." Instead of letting Jubes text it back, she snatched the phone and did it herself, waiting for a reply. After a few seconds, the phone chimed. "Says: -'_Close- no cigar._'-" She rolled her eyes.

Jubes stood from the chair, coming around to lie on the bed behind Rogue where she could see the phone. -'_Best 3/5?_'-

-'_Cute. Where was Eric born?_'-

-'_Poland._'-

-'_I also would have accepted the bowels of Hell. Too easy. What is Sari's middle name?_'-

-'_Victoria, of course._'-

-'_Ja. What is Myst's fave colour?_'-

-'_Blue._'- There was a pause that lasted for a handful of minutes. Rogue gave a worried look up to Jubilee, and the younger girl mirrored it.

-'_Nope. Not blue. Thanks for the laugh, tho._'-

-'_Then what is it?_'- Rogue scowled.

-'_Alright now, little girl, give the phone back to Zoe before I activate the GPS._'-

* * *

"_J'ai besoin de quelque chose tuer . . . ._ (I need something to kill . . .)" he growled to himself, rolling his eyes. "Fucking badgers . . " He paused, scowled. "Fucking raccoons." He tossed the satophone to his feet, and reached a blind hand up to see if he could feel the flue to open it. He lifted up to feel higher until his hand hit a piece of metal about four feet up from the hearth. "There we go . . " He felt for the little latch, and turned the flue open.

***_Swoosh_***

Coughing, sputtering, spitting, hissing, cursing, raging, Victor stormed out the back door, shaking the last 100 years of soot from his hair, rubbing it out of his eyes, spitting it from his mouth, and blowing it out of his nose. "MOTHERFUCKING, GOD-DAMNED, FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT FUCKING CABIN!" he yelled, stalking to the nearest tree and raking his claws down its bark, nearly slicing it in two. "FUCKING BURNING THIS SON OF A BITCH DOWN TO THE GROUND! FUCKING CHIMNEY! FUCKING OLD-ASS SHIT! FUCKING ERIC! FUCKING X-MEN!" The tree fell, and he moved to the next one. "FUCKING STATUE OF FUCKING LIBERTY! FUCKING GONNA KILL THE FUCKING RUNT- KILL HIS FUCKING REDHEAD GIRLFRIEND- KILL HIS FUCKING KID! FUCKING USELESS FBI! WHY THE FUCK AM I HERE AND FUCKING ZEE AND CUB ARE WITH THE FUCKING X-MEN? WHY THE FUCK DO THEY CALL THEMSELVES FUCKING X-MEN? TWO OF THEM ARE FUCKING FRAILS!"

He paused, breathing heavily, and leaned against the tree he'd just about felled, his eyes looking at the cloud of black dust settling down on the front porch, following his black footprints from the back door. He looked down at the tree he'd cut down next to the one he leaned on, glancing at all the big pieces of wood splintered around him. "Well," he murmured, going to get the five gallon bucket from the kitchen. "At least I don't have to go chop fucking firewood."

With a tired sigh, he began the walk down to the stream for more water. By God, he was taking a bath.

* * *

Before either girl could move from their spot to either put the phone back, or give it to the feral mother, the bedroom door swung open. Zoe and Ororo stepped back inside. The redhead immediately spotted her phone in Rogue's hands, and growled at her. "What are you doing?"

"The phone rang." Jubilee answered, scooting to the far side of the bed. "It was Victor- we were about to bring you-"

"Enough, Jubilee. I can smell you lying to me." half-hissed the feral, eyes darkening and claws slowly extending. She held one hand out to Rogue. "Hand it. Now." The phone was tossed, and the feral snatched it from the air. She glanced at the screen, reading the last message from Victor, and almost smiled. "I don't mind you being in here- I enjoy the company- and I don't mind you looking at anything in here, but the next time you decide to snoop on my phone, it will be your last."

"I'm sorry." Marie mumbled, chastised.

"Zee, calm down." Ororo said, gently, putting a tentative hand on the feral's shoulder. She looked at the girls. "Perhaps you two should finish your studying downstairs."

"No, they're fine." Zoe said, taking a calming breath before looking at her lengthened claws with a sour expression. "Damnit." She headed into the little bathroom, "Excuse me." She slammed the door shut behind her.

Ororo watched the door slam, then moved to check on the cub in the bassinet. The slamming door hadn't woken her.

"She looked really mad." Jubilee said softly.

"Because I am." Zoe's voice rang from the bathroom, the tone still dark. They heard the sink running, and the loud thump of something hitting the wall hard.

Inside the bathroom, the feral mother looked at the shampoo bottle sticking into the sheetrock above the toilet. "Shit." She hurried to pull it from the wall, and settled it back onto the side of the bathtub. Going back to the sink, she splashed cold water onto her face to calm her down, feeling her claws begin to shorten themselves without her needing to cut them off. Her vision seemed determined to stay dark, though her anger was quickly fleeing her body.

She was going to have to go hunting soon. It had been months since she'd been able to drain her aggression, and watching Victor slaughter deer just wasn't enough. If she didn't hunt- fight, dominate, rend- soon, she might end up hurting someone she really had no reason to hurt. More importantly, she had to calm down now before she hurt anyone in the next room.

Ororo grounded her- made her feel more at ease. The woman had given up her own bed to help _her_ sleep. The nature of her mutation was so wild that it seemed the weather witch could read feral body language, and she'd been easy to be around. Marie was an endearing girl, and the imprint of Eric reminded the feral so much of her pseudo father. And Jubilee? The girl was nosy but in an innocent way, and was fun to be around. Zoe liked to listen to Jubilee and Marie chatter on with their senseless girl-talk. She couldn't do without them.

"I need Victor here..."

Her thoughts shifted over to the little knotted leather bracelet he'd shown her how to make. Maybe it would smell like him enough to calm her nerves? Calm her rage? It was nothing special - just some bits of leather strips, half woven, half knotted into a circle with a tie. She'd watched him make it, show her the weave. He'd made dozens of them - put rabbit fur or deer fur into the braid so that if he was upwind of his prey, they would smell the fur on his neck, and not be alerted to their danger before he got close enough.

"Zee?"

"Yes, _mon moka_?"

"Are you okay?" Ororo asked through the wood panel.

"Yes." answered the feral. That necklace was in her pack - she'd asked him to put it there for her with the other pieces of jewelry she'd taken. "Is Sari still asleep?"

"Yes."

"Do you want us to leave?" Marie's voice sounded from the room.

"No." The calmer feral returned to the bedroom. "I'm sorry I became so angry. Jubilee, where did you put my leather bag?"

"The Gucci or the-"

"The homemade one."

"Oh, it's under the bed." answered the teen.

"Thanks." said the feral, crouching down to pull the large leather duffel bag from its hiding spot. She pulled it open, digging through its now meager contents. The leather shirt and pants were laid on the bed, followed by a handful of Sari's cloth diapers, her bag of spare toiletries, and the little hand-carved jewelry box she'd tucked in the bag before she'd left their last home. The box was opened, and Zoe settled down on the bed on her side, putting her back to her headboard.

"What's that?" Ororo asked.

"Swear you won't tell Scooter?" the feral smirked, lifting the little wooden lid off her box. Ororo only rolled her eyes, sitting beside the feral. "It's a jewelry box."

Ororo looked as surprised as she felt, seeing the contents of the small box. If that was all real, that girl was holding thousands of dollars in her hands. She was about to ask if it, in fact, was, but reconsidered. She'd been through Zoe's closet, too, helping her to hang her clothes; she had taken Zoe shopping right after she arrived. Save for a handful of plain cotton tees, the girl didn't own much of anything that wasn't name-brand. Designer jeans, designer tops - some from across the world - filled the wardrobe, and the feral acted as though everyone should have a good pair of three-hundred dollar jeans. She wondered suddenly just HOW much money the girl had on that ATM card of hers. When she'd said 'five-hundred' on their last shopping trip . . . was that five-hundred period? Or five-hundred-thousand? Million? "Did Erik buy you that?" she asked instead, watching Zee pick through the box.

"No." Zee laughed. "Why should Erik buy me jewelry?"

"I don't know."

"Victor bought it for me." Zoe said, putting down the box, and checking the bottom of her satchel, coming up empty. She paused to gesture at the box. "Most of that, I picked out myself, thank you very much." She turned back to her satchel, holding it upside down and giving it a good shake. It was empty. She scowled. Where was her necklace? "He promised me that he put that necklace in here . . ." She tuned the bag inside out. "Gods and goddesses, I swear-" She eyed a strange bulge in the lining of the leather bag.

"What is that?" Jubilee asked, from the floor.

"Oh my God, if a human heart falls out of that, I'm going to throw up." Rogue commented.

Zoe chuckled. "My, my, whatever made you think of that?"

"As if you didn't know." she returned, watching Zoe lengthen one claw, and draw it down the line of stitches.

The feral parted the lining from the bag, and reached into the slit she'd made. She scowled, pulling out an old leather cinch-sack. At the sight of it, she smiled. "Victor." she murmured, dropping the satchel in front of her to concentrate on her new find. "What in the world. . . "

"What is it?" asked Ororo.

"It's Vic's bag." she answered, running a hand over the old, smooth leather before untying the cinch. "He's had it for years - made it himself." She gently dumped the contents down on the bed in front of her, and then broke into a smile at what was inside.

"My dear," she murmured, pulling out a stack of polaroid pictures. "I thought he'd burned these!"

Ororo leaned over to see Zoe's hands, and Zoe held the top photo out to her.

"Warts took these- he was ALWAYS taking pictures. He was quite good with a camera, but enjoyed taking pictures he knew would bring on someone's ire."

"What?" Ororo looked down at the picture in her hands in mild surprise.

It was a candid shot, the camera pointed through a potted plant of some sort, and directed into a small kitchen. At the counter, Zosia sat, perched on a stool, very pregnant, wearing a pale blue tee over a filmy white skirt. Standing behind her, with his bare stomach against her back, was Victor, with his face turned down to see Zoe's eyes looking up at him. Perched on either side of her rounded belly, were his hands, and her own covered his.

* * *

_"Coffee?"_

_" . . No."_

_"Ice tea?"_

_" . . No."_

_Victor rolled his eyes, looking into the little icebox. "You want a bowl of cream?" he asked sarcastically, playfully, turning to look over his shoulder._

_Zosia only smiled at him from her seat at the island, shaking her head._

_"We don't have much else." he said, standing upright. "Water, milk, or that nasty blue koolaid crap Warts likes so damn much."_

_"I'll pass." she murmured to him, crossing her arms on the countertop. "Do we have any teabags?"_

_"There's tea in the fridge."_

_She shook her head again. "I don't want ice tea - I want hot tea. Maybe it will help . . ." She sighed, laying her head down on her crossed arms. "Will you come lay with me? Nap with me?"_

_He rounded the counter, coming to stand behind her, and put his hands on either side of her waist. "Still hurt?" he asked, using his thumbs to feel along her spine beneath her shirt._

_"Sore." she answered, purring as he gently rubbed the aches from her back. "That's so much betterrrr . . . " She sighed contentedly, enjoying the little pampering massage._

_"I'll heat that tea for you." he offered quietly, moving his hands up to her shoulders. He kneaded the skin there for a few moments, listening to her purr._

_"It's okay, Victor." she answered, sitting up straight. "It's moving." she said softly, looking up at him with a proud, pleased smile. His hands slid down to rest on either side of her stomach. "Here." Her hands topped his, moving them to the top of her stomach until he could feel the little movements beneath the skin there. "It's been active today, mon Lion."_

_He leaned down, nuzzling the top of her head with his cheek, scenting her. "Running out of room." he said, straightening. "I'd be fighting for space, too." She only smiled._

* * *

"Victor would kill." Zoe chuckled, taking the picture back, flashing another one- herself and her mate, curled up asleep in their bed. She lay on her stomach, and he lay with most of his chest and his arm over top of her, holding her in place with him. "Nearly did, too. If we had a dime for every camera he has destroyed . . ." There was another polaroid picture in the stack that she showed to the windrider, and let the two girls see, too, when they came to her bedside, curious. "This is the only one he _let_ Warts take."

The room was shady, and a lamplight next to the leather armchair was the only light showing. Sitting in the armchair, was the blonde feral himself, his hunter green shirt unbuttoned down to his waist out of the frame. Lying on his bare chest was a very freshly born Sari, wearing only a diaper, fast asleep. The large man seemed to almost be smiling, his eyes turned down to the newborn in his arms.

"Wow." Rogue whispered, looking at the picture in surprise.

"Awww . . . " Jubilee smiled. "Like, that is so cute! Is that your husband?"

"Mate." Zoe corrected with a nod. "That is Victor."

"Wow- that's a solid hunk of man."

Marie and Ororo snorted; Zee chuckled. "He's solid, alright." said the feral mother. "A real lady-killer, my Victor." She smirked, her eyes glinting briefly.

"And man-killer." Ororo said flatly.

"Give a little, take a little." Zoe shrugged, dropping the pictures to reach back into the bag. What she pulled out may not have looked like much to her companions, but to her meant the world. He had made her another necklace- woven it with a dark strip of leather, and a light piece of leather. What was so special, though, was that he had taken a lock of his long, blonde hair, and woven it into the braid instead of using rabbit's fur. She brought it to her nose, smiling when it smelled like him.

"What is that?" Ororo asked.

"He made me a new one." Zoe said, letting her see the leather in her hands. "He put his hair in it so it would smell like him . . . for me." Her smile turned into a smirk. "We think terribly alike, he and I." She laughed. "I stuck one with my hair in it down into his bag, too."

* * *

There he stood, in the cabin's drafty kitchen, shivering like a leaf in a hurricane. God damnit- he had slipped on an ice-covered rock by the stream on his last trip for water. He'd reached out, and taken a handhold on a sapling before falling in, but just as he was about to pull himself back up onto the dirt, the weak baby oak snapped in two. Healing factor or no, his head still ached where he'd cracked the sapling over it as he fell into the freezing water. Luckily for him, the last pot of water he'd left on the wood stove was boiling when he came back in. He poured his bucket of cold water into the warm water in the antique bathtub, then poured the boiling water in after it. By no means would it be warm long enough to soak in, but it would be warm enough to get cleaned up with.

After shredding the last bit of leathers from his soaked frame, he slid down into the lukewarm bathwater.

'_FUCK!_'

Mentally, he added a propane tank and water heater to the list of things to buy, along with a new generator, and some matches- it had taken far too damn long to light the stove with Zee's old flint stones. If he was going to be staying here, he was going to at least be able to take a hot bath- Hell, he'd settle for a WARM bath right about now. With a tired sigh, he slumped over in the tub. He gathered a splash of water into his cupped palms, and brought it to his black-soot covered face. He scrubbed, and watched the water over his legs turn grey as the soot began to come away from his skin. What a sight he must look. One day he's wearing a nice pair of comfortable slacks, and a soft silk button-up, the next day wearing hunting leathers, and now wearing a good hundred years of soot! He grumbled, closing his eyes as he leaned back in the tub. '_Is this because I killed that fuckup preacher last month, because he _was_ fucking a sixteen-year old when I busted through the backdoor . . . If anything, I should be getting a fucking medal- and a new water heater. Fuck, a new cabin._'

His eyes snapped open as he heard the loud creak in the room. He jerked up, throwing one leg up over the edge of the tub to bail, but it was too late. With one last complaining groan, the old boards beneath the tub- and therefore, him- cracked, snapping, dropping the tub like a piece of trash to the dirt sub-floor below. Landing at an angle, he quickly found himself dumped- along with his bathwater- onto the filthy floorboards next to the table.

"ALRIGHT, GOD DAMN IT! WHAT THE BLOODY MOTHER-FUCK-" His rant was cut off, mid- sentence, as the floorboards beneath his knees gave a loud CRACK. "OH, SHIT!" They gave- weakened from the strain the tub was putting on them, and he dropped the three feet down to the dirt-now-mud under his kitchen floor. His elbow gave as he landed, and he rolled onto his side before he could stop himself. For a moment, disbelief overtook anger, and he paused to stare at the hole he sat in. "FUCKING PREACHER! HIS ASS BETTER BE ROTTING IN FUCKING HELL RIGHT FUCKING NOW IF MY ASS HAS TO SIT IN THIS FUCKING MUDHOLE! THE FUCK DID I DO?! HE WAS FUCKING A GODDAMN KID AND I'M GIVEN A MUDBATH? WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS BULLSHIT?" He crawled up out of the kitchen's new basement door, and into his cabin-far from the broken boards. He was still covered in sweat and soot, and now with the lovely coating of red-clay, he figured all he needed was a chicken to wander on by, and he'd be as good as tarred and feathered. With a loud, feral roar, he took to his feet, and stalked/sloshed over to his pack that he had- thankfully- left on the kitchen table, looking for something- ANYTHING- to clean himself up with. The pack still smelled so strongly of his mate and cub, but their comforting scents were helping his rage very little at the moment. Unceremoniously, he dumped the entire bag out on the table, and began digging through the contents for something to clean the mud away with. At the bottom of the pile, something small and white caught his attention.

He wiped his hands clean on a t-shirt before picking up the little bundle. It was one of Sari's cloth diapers- clean, and smelling of her- wrapped up in a bundle, and held closed with a diaper pin. With a curious expression, his scowl softening, he undid the pin, and unfolded the diaper. Inside was a strip of leather- one of the woven hunting necklaces he had taught Zee to make. She'd taken a strip of rust-coloured leather, and a strip of honey-coloured leather, and had braided them together with a long lock of her soft, red hair.

He sat down on the chair beside him, his eyes on the diaper and necklace in his hands, cupping them as gently as he had cupped his daughter's little body, and stared down at them. How had she known? How had he not discovered this gift- and it was a gift- sooner? What rose as an impatient whimper, he caught in his throat, and let it out in one long, primal roar of anguish and need. His mate, his cub, were far away from him- long out of his reach- and he NEEDED them.

* * *

Well... what did you think? Review! :)


	15. Chapter 15

Greetings from The Lady Mage! This is a short chappie but it is kinda transitional so, yeah... Read, enjoy, review!

The Lady Mage

Disclaimer: There is no disclaimer. I've nothing to hide... no, really.

* * *

Ferity: (fehr-ih-tee) - noun - 1. The state of being wild or untamed. 2. The state of being savage; Ferocity.

* * *

He wasn't sure how long he had sat there, clutching his two precious treasures in his hands, but the mud had began to dry and flake away on his body. It itched like Hell on his skin, prompting him to decide on cleaning up. There was just enough water left in the bottom of the tub for a cold sponge bath, and he quickly scrubbed himself clean. A clean pair of boxers and jeans felt like silk on his skin after the irritating clay, and pulling his favorite maroon hoodie over his head was like diving into a sea of warm blanket. Warm, clean, and dressed, he checked his cellphone.

'_12:07? Shit!_' Victor blanched.

Walking into the living room, clutching his mementos in one hand, he dialed Zoe's number with the other and put it to his ear. He hoped she hadn't already gone to bed-the sound of her voice was something he needed to hear tonight. He needed to know that she and Sari were safe and well, and happy-not going through all the stupid shit that he had gone through that day. Sitting in front of the fireplace where his bedroll rested against the swept floor, he enjoyed the warmth that his meager fire provided.

* * *

_***-Kiss me- k-k-kiss me- Infect me with your lovin'- fill me with your poison- Take me- t-t-take me- Wanna be a victim- Ready for abduction- Boy, you're an alien- Your touch so-***_

Zoe had just settled Sari down beside Ororo on the bed when the phone rang. The weather witch had fallen asleep an hour or so earlier, but the feral had yet to shake enough of her leftover frustration to become sleepy.

The little blue phone was snatched up and flipped open. "Hello?"

"Zee." She could tell by his voice that he was tired and frustrated.

"Victor, my love." she all but purred back, a big smile overtaking her face. She took a seat in her rocking chair. "How I have missed your voice."

"Yes." he murmured with a sigh. "The same."

"It's been so long already, or at least has seemed so." she lowered her voice so as not to wake her bed partners. "I was beginning to think you had already forgotten about me."

"Never." His voice was hard, driving the point home. "I will never forget you."

She could hear the rustle of a sleeping bag in the background as she began to gently rock her chair. "It is still so long until the spring. I can't wait to see you again- to be with you again. Sari has already seemed to grow so much in just this short time."

"Had hoped the time would fly by faster than this."

"We miss you so much, Victor."

"...I miss you both. Very much."

A pale hand went to the braided necklace around her neck, gently caressing the leather and hair. "I found the necklace you made me today." Zoe smiled. "Did you find the bundle at the bottom of your bag, too?"

"Holding it right now." '_And clutching it for dear life..._'

"Are you all right, my love? You sound so strained."

He'd poured his day out to her, cussing like a mad sailor while she sat quietly and listened to him vent his frustrations to her. Now and then he would hear her chuckle softly or murmur soft words to calm him. It took a good ten minutes to get it all out, beginning with the chair on the porch and ending with his mudbath. Before he could tell her about how he had found her gifts to him, he was cut off by a quiet but serious baby's cry.

There was a sound of shuffling fabric, the creak of a wooden rocking chair, and the baby's cry softened into quiet whimpers. Zoe softly shushed the baby, but he could hear Sari grunt, coo, and make all those little baby sounds that he hadn't ever cared to hear until he had met her in person. He shut his mouth, listening to his mate whisper to his cub.

"_Maman's petite fille... Je'taime, mon cherie..._" Zoe whispered.

His chest ached dully over his heart, hearing his family going on without him there. "What is she... what is she doing?" '_What do babies do besides suck tit and sleep?_'

"Trying to make her _Maman_ come to bed." answered his mate, "She doesn't want to sleep with Ororo- she wants her Maman." Zoe chuckled softly, a soft sound that calmed his raging nerves. "She's so hungry today. I don't think I've put her down more than twice."

Sari made soft sucking sounds as she resumed her late-night snack, swallowing hard enough for him to pick up on his end. The blonde feral could picture the cub in his mind. The picture had come to him only hours before, but it wasn't the same thing as being there with them, sitting with them, touching them, smelling them. The ache doubled, and his mate could sense his shift in mood. Zoe spoke to him in gentle, loving tones, telling him everything about the school, the students, Ororo, Rogue, and Jubilee. He listened, laid out on his bedding, letting her voice relax him as he half paid attention and half drifted off into thought.

* * *

_He'd never done his rounds so fast or so thoroughly before. The feral didn't think it had taken him ten minutes to circle the island to sniff out anyone who may be lurking about. Like an idiot he had looked in leafless trees, searched under rocks no human could dream of moving, and kicked through suspicious drifts of snow that had obviously been stationary for days. If there had been anyone that was even remotely a threat, they would have been found. As usual, there was no one, so he hurried back into their lair and to the new family he had left inside it._

_The rocking chair was empy when he returned. The covers were thrown back across the bed, empty and cold. He sniffed the air in their doorway, and followed her scent to the little opened bathroom door._

_The pretty feral was sitting in the deep metalic silver bathtub. The water was filled up to her ribs, and tinged pink with the blood she'd washed from her body and the tiny body in her arms. She held their cub protectively- possessively- in her arms, gently running a washcloth over the newborn's back. When he stepped inside the door, she glanced up at him._

_"Hello, Papa." she murmured, flashing him her his favorite secretive, sexy smile._

_He gave her a smirk as he walked to the edge of the tub, and quietly crouched down against its side- as close to them as he could get without joining them in the water. "Hi_, Maman._" he said softly. Not caring if they got dirty on the floor, he shrugged out of his furs and leather until he was shirtless beside them. With bare arms unrestricted, he crossed them on the tub's edge, and then leaned in to her. She gave him a quick kiss, and he gently tucked a strand of her curly red hair behind her ear._

_"You worked fast." she teased._

_"I had good reasons to hurry back." The baby sighed in her sleep, gaining his attention. "She cleans up nice."_

_Like the little kitten she was, their cub lay curled up against her mother. He couldn't remember ever seeing a baby this young- only hours old- and found himself fascinated by the tiny cub. She let our another tiny sigh in her sleep, her little pink lips parted. Back in their bedroom, even after she'd been cleaned up a bit, the cub had looked more like a little murder victim than a living child. Now that his mate had properly bathed her, he could see her true features. Her skin was mottled and blushed pink, and the hair on her tiny head was curly and red. He ran his thumb gently over one tiny cheekbone, then lifted one little clawed hand for his inspection. "She's beautiful, Zee."_

_Zoe shifted enough to ease their cub into the crook of her arm. The baby's face- her nose, her brows, and her long eyelashes- were all from his mate. Only one feature was his, and it was the tiny dimple in the baby's chin. With a smile, he leaned down, pressing his lips to the cub's forehead, then playfully kissing the swell of his mate's breast._

_"Vic." she laughed softly, gently swatting him back. "She's perfect."_

_"She is." he agreed, looking down at his daughter. Absently, he wondered if she looked anything like he had as an infant, but he quickly banished the thought from his mind. "You'll have everything I never had, Kitten." he whispered down to her. "Everything and more."_

* * *

"My Victor?"

He opened his eyes as though she stood over him. "Hmm?"

"Did you fall asleep on me?"

"No, dear." He yawned audibly. "I'm just laying here. Listening."

"Shall I let you go?" she purred, teasing.

"No, no." he returned. "Purr for me."

Her laughter was light, soft, and rang in his ears before travelling its way up and down his spine. Then, appeasingly, he heard her move the phone down to her chest before hearing a soft purr rambling through the phone. While she couldn't hear him, he quickly set his phone to record the quiet sound.

After a few moments, she brought the phone back to her ear. "Your turn."

"We never said anything about taking turns." He sighed in mock annoyance, but returned the favor, holding the phone to his throat as he let out the closest sound to a purr he could make. He pulled the phone back up to his ear. "I may take a job..." He said softly. "Down in Albany."

"Would you come to see us?" She didn't hide the excitement in her voice.

"If I can." he answered. "I won't come if I think there are cops right on my ass... I'll call you if I can."

"Call me if you can't come, too. I miss the sound of your voice in my ears." she murmured. "I miss you. _Je'taime._"

"_Je'taime. Je m'ennuie de toi, aussi_. You don't know how much."

* * *

What do you think? Review!

Lady Mage


	16. Chapter 16

Greetings and welcome to Chapter 16! Thank you guys so much for the reviews! They sincerely brighten my entire day! :) My last final for this semester is Monday, so after that I will have a whole month to do nothing but work and write! Awesome, right? LOL Expect many chapters before January 14th! And as always, read, enjoy, review!

Disclaimer: Don't own them... yet.

* * *

Ferity: (fehr-ih-tee) - noun - 1. The state of being wild or untamed. 2. The state of being savage; Ferocity.

* * *

"...And so, we see here that without this journey from a gas to a liquid to a solid and so on, our world would not be at all like it is today." Professor Xavier lectured to the class of twenty-five or so mutants before him. He gestured to the chemical diagrams drawn on the chalkboard that showed the structure of a water molecule. "For example, if water remained in its solid state, there would be no life on the planet, for without the liquid form, life as we know it would never have evolved."

The students in the room all listened intently, giving the Professor the respect that he deserved while he taught them everything under the sun.

Zosia smiled, silently watching the interaction from her fly on the wall perch in the far corner of the library. She was comfortable curled up in a leather club chair, her legs dangling over one arm, and Sari curled asleep on her chest. The professor had started his lesson fifty-three minutes ago. John had asked how the states of matter were important to the mutant issue, and that had turned the lecture into the course of evolution based upon the structure of the water molecule. The lesson had become something of a free for all and everyone had been asking questions. Some asked sincerely, others only being facetious, but the professor answered everyone anyway- if only to push just that much more knowledge into their heads.

After a month at the school, the feral had long ago decided that she enjoyed sitting in on the professor's classes during the day. Though she had began spending her mornings with Ororo and her class, the two of them had quickly discovered that they couldn't keep themselves from over-analyzing everything until the children were all either so bored or so overwhelmed that nothing was getting done. It was better for her to stay with Charles. Even though she heard the same lecture over and over all day, she enjoyed hearing the children interact. Though the speech he gave was generally the same for every class, the banter was always different.

The professor was a knowledgable and charming man, and his lessons were always interesting, but Zoe found that she could very easily zone out while listening to him. Perhaps it was because listening to him reminded her so much of Eric. She had spent hours upon hours with Eric, reading anything and everything they could get their hands on. Addicted to the written word, he was. Whenever he and Myst would take off and be gone for a few days, he always seemed to bring home a book or two for her. Sometimes the books were novels, or books of sonnets and poetry. Other times, they were textbooks- big, thick ones that would take them days to go through.

Sari gave a little grunt, lifting her head up off her mother's chest. Her head bobbed for a few seconds before she laid her forehead back down on Zoe's chest. She let out a grunt that quickly became a whimper. Before the cub could attract the attention of the whole class, Zoe pulled the almost five week old baby up for a cuddle and a snack.

"...For example: Metal in its liquid state is extremely difficult to manipulate- even with magnetic force. This is something my friend, Eric, discovered in his youth. To force a metallic element into a pure gaseous form is a stretch even for his immense capabilities, but it is possible."

At the mention of Eric's name, Zoe glances up, meeting the professor's eyes with a smile. She shook her head in amusement but said nothing. They'd yet to let anyone know outside of Rogue and Jubilee that she had come from the Brotherhood. The less who knew the truth, the less mouths that could spill that truth to someone who wanted to hurt her or her cub. The majority of the students- if the rumor mill were true- believed that she was an unwed, runaway sixteen year old who had her baby in the back of a van at a rock concert. She could thank Jubilee for the rock concert bit- that girl could gossip. Supposedly she had found the school with the help of a graduated student. The reason she didn't attend the classes like the others was because she had already graduated beforehand, and was using the school as a refuge until the baby was old enough she could go get a job somewhere. Marie had come up with the already graduating part, and for this Zosia was grateful; she certainly did not want to take algebra with Scooter.

With open fondness, the feral turned her eyes to the pretty brunette sitting in the front row of Xavier's class, taking notes as he lectured. Marie had managed to seat herself down into Zoe's heart as though she'd bore her. As she watched the girl, Rogue suddenly stopped her jotting, and scowled at the paper on the clipboard in her lap. With an aggressive sweet of her fingers, the twirled her pencil around and began to angrily erase all the notes she'd just written down.

Zosia smirked, amused. Marie must have caught herself writing in Eric's neat script again- just one of the man 'gifts' he had bestowed upon her that night on Ellis Island. Her normal handwriting was a little sloppy, with girlish scrolling letters; channeling Eric, she used his precise, neat, masculine script with tight little letters.

"You okay, chica?" Jubilee whispered as she leaned over to look at Rogue's paper. "Oh."

"It's okay." Marie whispered back to her.

Jubilation only nodded, turning her head back to the Professor's lesson.

Loud, hyper, and brash, Jubilation was much like Mystique in her humors. The young Chinese girl shared the same coarse sense of humor as Zoe's adopted sister, and displayed the same cocky devil-may-care attitude when slighted. With an exuberance to match any five year old's on their birthday, Jubilee could simply alight a room with her personality. She drew away some of the cobwebs left over from whatever life Zoe had lead back before she'd known the rings, the tanks, and the pain.

"Alright, students," Xavier announced, glancing to the grandfather clock against the wall. "Don't forget your essays tomorrow. Class is dismissed."

The group of students stood, picking up book bags, notebooks, pens, and paper, then filed out into the hallways. Outside, three other classrooms spilled into the hall to join them.

"Rogue,_ Wiederholtest du es_?" Zoe asked, sitting Sari up in her lap. The cub, cooed, enjoying the new perspective as her mother supported her head for her. (Did you do it again?)

"What? Oh, yeah, I-" Marie cut herself off with a light scowl. Zoe smirked, watching her. "_Ja. Ich fing an zu scheiben wie er._" (Yes. I began to write like he does.)

Bored of having no one to speak privately with, Zosia had taken it upon herself to show the mutant girl the joys of learning another language. Marie had absorbed bits and pieces of the German language from Eric; Zoe was merely filling in the pieces. It hadn't taken much prompting to pull the language from Marie's memory- she simply ignored the girl until she dropped English in her presence. Even Jubilee and Ororo were picking a little of it up.

"_Er ist night ganz schreckliches das, ist es?_"

"_Nein._" Marie shook her head. "_Es konnte schlechter sein._" (No. It could be worse.)

"_Gutes, Madchen._"

Zosia watched Marie and Jubilee follow the other students from the room, then stood with Sari tucked in her arms. Before she could follow them, the professor caught her attention.

"Zosia, I wanted you to be aware that we are having a house-guest for the evening." the professor said, rolling his chair alongside her. "He is a good friend. He works at the U.N. now, but he is going to be here this afternoon to help with a few things downstairs."

"Okay." Zoe shrugged.

"He is a feral." said Charles. "And I didn't want to surprise you with that fact." He smirked, amused at the surprised look that quickly crossed her eyes. "I think you will like him, though. He is a very interesting personality."

"If you say so, _mon professeur._" She replied noncommitally, heading into the hallway in search of Ororo. She had made it a point to always find Ororo on her way to the cafeteria for lunch, and whether Scooter liked it or not, she always sat at their table.

Ororo was in the atrium, stacking away the last of the papers to be graded from her classes. She glanced up when Zoe and Sari came in, and gave them a smile of greeting as she quickly sorted away her work. Zosia took a seat on a table in the front of the room, patiently waiting.

"Hungry yet?" asked Ororo, tucking her textbook into the top drawer of her desk.

"_Avez-vous faim, mon moka?_" (Are you hungry?)

"Yes." Ororo lightly scowled, remembering. "_Oui._" She almost uncharacteristically pouted, thinking. "_J'ai. J'ai faim._" (Ye. I am. I am hungry.)

"You learn quickly, Ororo."

The white-haired woman tucked the last of the mess away, and came to the table where Zoe sat to greet the cooing baby properly. She held her arms out in silent question, and the feral gently placed Sari into them. "_Bonjour, peitite ange._" Ororo mumured to the cub. "I bet you're just about ready for your own lunch, too, hmm? Sari _a faim?_" She gave the baby's cheek a quick kiss before gently handing the five week old back to her mother.

"Do you know anything about this feral mutant that the Professor was telling me about earlier? He said one was visiting today." Zoe asked, tucking Sari into her sling.

"Hank? Oh, you're going to like him, Zee. He's a sweetheart." Ororo said with a smile, leading the feral towards the cafeteria. "He helped the professor start this school a long time ago. He's very smart- and handsome... Well, if you like blue, that is."

"Blue?" The two women headed to the large dining room, and all hope of conversation was drowned out by the noisy pack of students getting their food in the lunch-line. They were about to make their way to the teacher's table when Jean's head stuck out of a side room.

"Storm, Zoe." Jean said, then gestured for them to come to her.

"Zosia." The professor grabbed her attention, then turned his back to the tall man standing beside him inside the study. "Hank, this is Zosia Creed." he said congenially. "Zosia, this is Hank McCoy."

Zosia took in the tall, blue-furred man with an emotionless expression, quietly reading him over before deciding upon a warm or cold reception. His eyes were kind and curious, and his posture was relaxed but proper. No smell of aggression came from him, so the smaller feral relaxed. She approached the professor first, giving him a smile of greeting, then casually held a hand out to the new blue mutant.

"It is a pleasure." Hand greeted, reaching out and gently shaking her hand.

"'Tis all mine, I assure you." she returned as he examined the sharp claws tipping her fingers. She offered him the same warm smile as he released her hand, then stepped aside for Ororo. The weather witch didn't bother with a handshake, greeting the man with a bear hug that he returned affectionately. Watching them, Zoe settled her mind. If her new pseudo sister could trust Hank, so could she.

"Hank, how have you been?" asked Ororo.

"Just fine, thank you. Same old, same old in the White House. How about you?" he answered with a smile, laying a friendly hand on her shoulder. "We have heard all about the attacks on Liberty Island, of course. I had wanted to visit sooner, but they needed me in Washington."

"Yes, of course." Ororo nodded, glancing over to Zosia, looking for any sign of reaction. Zoe's arms were crossed under the sling, her face the emotionless mask she wore when she didn't care to be read. "Let's not talk about any of that now, Hank."

The tall man glanced over at Zosia with a knowing look in his eyes. It angered her as she wondered just what that knowing look meant. What had the professor told him about her or about the clash at the statue that night? What did this new stranger know about her or Victor? About Sari? She could feel her heckles rising again, and tightened her arms under Sari's sling. Noticing the change in her mood, she watched him divert his eyes apologetically before he put his attention back to Ororo. Suddenly, she didn't feel so agitated, but the hard shift in mood left her feeling tired. '_What the hell was that?_' she wondered, glancing to the professor.

"Professor Xavier has told me that you have a daughter."

Zoe looked back to the tall, furry blue man, cutting her eyes to the professor's. She would have to have a little talk with him about that. Just because he felt secure with this blue man did not mean that she did. Even though she carried Sari with her everywhere she went, most people didn't notice her presense when she slept. When the feral looked back at Hank, she nodded once. "Yes."

"Charles has also informed me of her unique mutation." His voice was friendly, with a hint of something akin to curiosity.

"Unique?" Her tone was a little more rough than she would have liked, but he seemed to take no ill will from it.

Hank smiled. "Your daughter is the first of a new generation of mutants. That, alone with being a female feral is what makes her so unique." He clasped his hands together in front of him, and gestured to where Jean was going through a filing cabinet. "I have come to assist Jean with an examination of some of the students with more serious mutations. It would give me great pleasure if you would allow me to examine your little one."

The feral mother gave him a slight frown. "Examine for what? There is nothing wrong with her."

Hank shook his head. "Considering her mutation, I would presume there is nothing wrong." He said reassuringly. "However, a routine examination should put any fears to rest."

"What is it you want to do? Examine her how?"

"We would make a chart for her first." he answered, stepping a little closer to her. "Jean has informed me that you wouldn't allow her to examine your daughter very well. All we will do is to measure her height and weight, take her temperature." He offered. "It is quick and it is painless if it is something that you would allow me to do for her."

"It'd be good for her, Zee." Ororo added.

The thought that something may have been wrong with her cub had not crossed her mind since those few tense moments after birth when Sari refused to breathe. Mystique had held her upside down and smacked her back to clear her airway, and after a few minutes, Sari had choked and let out a loud cry. As the feral mother looked down at her daughter in her sling, the cub opened her pretty brown eyes to look back. The feral mother looked back at Hank. Perhaps if it was good for the cub, it should be allowed. "Okay."

The tall blue man gave her another friendly smile and nodded. "Wonderful. Shall we retreat to the medical laboratory?"

"Downstairs?" Her voice was pensive, and she hated it.

Hank watched her for a few seconds, looked her up and down once, then gave a light shrug of his shoulders. "If you would be more comfortable, I would be more than happy to perform her examination elsewhere." he offered. When she nodded once, he smiled again. "If you would like, we can go to one of the classrooms."

"Yes." said Zoe. "The atrium."

"Ah, going to let us take a look at the little kitten?" Jean asked, breezing by with a file tucked under her arm. The telekine pushed the sleeves of her red sweater up to her elbows as she stood beside the professor. She offered Zoe a smile. It took the feral a few seconds to follow the expression with a smile of her own, but the telekine did not let her's falter. "Little Sari hasn't had a checkup yet."

"No. The last time you did any kind of checkup I ended up **destroying** a very **expensive** x-ray machine." The feral looked back to Hank. "Shall we then?"

"By all means." Hank bowed aside, letting Zoe lead him down the hallway to Ororo's atrium. She watched him peripherally as he walked, carrying a black doctor's bag and a white labcoat in his hands. Ororo walked beside Hank, with Jean and the professor bringing up the rear. Once inside the classroom, Zoe walked to the closest row of tables.

The telekine produced a couple of sheets of paper- medical forms- from her folder, and set them on the table in front of the feral. She plucked a pen from the coil of her bun, and laid it beside the papers. "If you want to go ahead and fill this out, Hank can get started with Sari." she said. "Does she have a birth certificate?"

"Yes." Zoe answered, her voice softened. She lifted the sling in her arms, letting the fabric fall back away from Sari's body. The feral cub blinked in the new light, wriggling in her mother's arms.

"My, my." said Hank, setting his black bag on the table. "What an adorable infant." He gave the baby and mother another appeasing expression, letting Zoe know subconsciously that he was no threat to her or the cub. "So similar in appearance to her mother. You must be very proud."

Zoe smiled, pleased. Gently, the sling was pulled away from her daughter's back and the baby rested in the crook of her arm. Sari let out a little yawn, bringing one hand up and sticking her thumb knuckle between her lips. Zoe looked back to Hank's eyes, unsure.

"Here." Ororo produced a little blue plastic pad from the small closet against the wall where the gardening supplies were kept. "You can lay Sari on this."

Sari was settled on the blue pad on the table, sucking her thumb knuckle contentedly, and giving her legs a few kicks. Zoe straightened the baby's mint green onesie. "_Mon petite ange._" she murmured to her baby with a smile.

"_Ah, parlez vois francais?_"

"_Oui._" With a last look at her baby, she stood straight and turned her attention to the medical charts on the table.

"_Bonjour, petite chat._" Hank said down to the cub, his voice as even and normal as though he were conversing with another adult. "_Plaisir de faire votre connaissance._" The blue mutant had pulled a stethoscope from his bag, and it dangled around his neck as he leaned down to the baby feral. Holding up one finger, he moved it slowly side to side, watching Sari's eyes follow it. "_Sari, n'est-ce pas? Votre mere et pere certainement ont mis beaucoup de pensee dans vous appeler._" (Hello, little cat. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Sari, is it? Your mother and father certainly did put a lot of thought into naming you."

The charts were quickly filled out with as much information as Zoe could provide, and set aside as she watched Hank complete his examination. The blue feral checked the baby's temperature with an ear thermometer, listened to her heartbeat with his stethoscope, and gently bent her elbows, knees, and hips. All the while, he chatted small-talk to the little cub as though she could answer him back, leaving her cooing up at the blue mutant and happily kicking her legs.

"_Quel age a l'enfant en bas?_" asked Hank, straightening. (How old is the infant?)

"Four weeks and five days."

"I see." Hank glanced across the table where Jean and Ororo were standing, watching him amusedly. "Jean, would you care to retrieve a scale from the chem lab? I believe it would be easier than having to carry her down to the medlab." The telekine nodded, breezing out of the room. Hank turned back to Zoe. "Would you care to remove her clothing, or would you rather I do it for you?"

Without an answer, the feral mother reached out, gently pulling the pink pants from the baby's legs, the white socks from her feet, and the mint green and pink onesie. The baby's diaper soon followed, leaving her naked on the mat. Sari kicked her legs again, and shook her little fists in the air.

The scale Jean brought into the room wasn't much bigger than a bathroom scale, but they managed to situate Sari on it to where it would record her weight. "Hmm, nine pounds and four ounces." Read Hank, making note of it on the chart beside Sari's mat. Turning to the feral mother, he held his hands out, silently asking permission to touch the baby. "Her weight rate is on the lower end of the growth curve, but for a premature birth it isn't unusual."

"Premature?" asked Jean, surprised.

"Yes." Zoe confirmed, watching Hank tuck Sari into the crook of his arm.

"Really? You never mentioned it."

"What does it matter to you?" Zoe asked calmly.

"Do you know how far into your pregnancy you were when you went into labor?" Hank gave Sari's little belly a pat. "Did you give birth in a hospital?"

"About eight months, give or take. Thirty-six weeks maybe. She was born at home. Myst and Vic were with me."

"My stars and garters, child." Hank said the to cub. "You couldn't wait to get here, could you."

"It's a miracle she survived without a hospital." Jean said, her voice concerned. "You should have said something. There are several problems she could have developed-"

"She was FINE." Zoe cut her off, growling in her direction. She bit the sound off as soon as it started. "Don't you have other students to attend to, telekine?"

"Not while they are at lunch with Scott." answered Jean, her voice losing its friendly tone as she let her agitation show for a few seconds. "Don't bite my head off because I am concerned for the well-being of your daughter."

"Your concern is misplaced." hissed the feral. "She is fine without it. Victor and I have dealt with the circumstance of her birth so don't bother worrying your pretty little head on it."

"Zosia." Charles's voice was authoritarian. He rolled his chair around beside the feral. "There is no need to snap at Jean; she is only trying to help."

"What's done is done. I need none of her help."

"You okay?" Ororo asked, coming to stand beside the feral.

"Fine."

"Did something happen? When you began labor, were you in the process of doing anything strenuous?"

"At that particular moment, yes. You could say so." answered the feral. "Before that, I'd been on errands with Myst."

"Myst?"

"My sister. Mystique." she elaborated. "We were getting ready to head back home. It was a long drive- about three hours or so out of town- so I was waiting beside the van to stretch my legs. Warts was picking up his developing and Myst went to the bathroom a last time."

* * *

_She had thought them all either dead or dying. Rage had taken over logical thought- backed into a corner, vulnerable, unprotected- and instinct had led her. Instinct to protect herself- to protect the baby still growing inside her- flooded her eyes black, lengthened her claws, her fangs, and coloured her vision red with blood. She looked down at the bodies on the ground around her- the seven men who had tried to harm her._

_Simply because she had been born different from them._

_Her pregnancy was obvious, as was her vulnerability, and the had attacked her anyway. Deep down in her heart, she found that she was incapable of feeling guilty for taking their lives. They had struck first. They had asked for blood._

_She had given it to them._

_"Zo!"_

_The feral looked up as Myst and Warts ran down the alley. They both paused, taking in the bodies around her, the blood that pained her skin and hands. "Myst... Warts... I... They just- I c-couldn't... I-"_

_"It's okay." Mystique's tone was soft and motherly as she put her hands on her sister's shoulders. "We'll go home. No one here knows you or where we came from. They won't find us. They were only humans."_

_"But, we-"_

_"Look out!" Mortimer yelled out, running at the two women, shoving them out of the way as one of the humans managed to lunge up. The toad spat a thick wad of green ooze at the man's face, then gave him a savage kick to the temple._

_Zosia felt the knife, aimed for her ribs, pierce into her side before she hit the ground beside Myst. The metamorph jerked up in time to watch as the pregnant feral pulled the knife- a small dagger with a three inch blade- from the round swell of her stomach. Though the blade itself was far to small to seriously injure the pregnant feral, it had hit its mark where the most damage would be done- to the child the feral carried._

* * *

"You killed them?" Jean asked.

"Slaughtered them. It was that or die. I **filleted** them."

"No one here is judging you." said the professor.

"I do not fear judgement. Their deaths lay on their own heads. I'd have left them alone; why couldn't they leave me be? Because I have claws?"

"Alright now, _le petite,_" Hank said to the tiny cub, returned to the mat. "Let us measure you before you decide to spring a leak in this cool room." Hank pulled a cloth tape measure from his bag. "She doesn't have any scarring on her body. I assume the blade missed her?"

"Yes. It hit the placenta. The knife itself- the trauma- sent me into labor. It was a long drive home. Water broke and it was blood." said the feral, watching Hank measure the cub. "When Myst's dopplar couldn't pick up her heartbeat anymore, Victor cut her out of me."

"He _what_?!" Jean and Ororo's eyes bugged out.

"Stars and garters, petite chat." said Hank to Sari. "You had a very interesting birth."

"_Too_ interesting." mumbled the feral mother, curling a lip.

"Well, she is a whopping twenty inches long." Hank put away his measuring tape. "Did you measure her at birth?"

"No. There wasn't time. We were set to leave the lair that night for New York. We'd been in and out of New York for weeks but this was just before Liberty Island. That night, Myst flew us in the helicopter to our new place in New York." answered Zoe. "She's gotten bigger but I can't tell you precisely how much so."

Hank looked to Ororo. "Did you say you had a diaper in here for her?" She nodded, and he watched her retrieve one from her desk. "Babysit much?"

"Sometimes." she answered, ignoring the others as she brought the diaper to the table. She handed it to the blue feral and watched him place it under Sari's bottom. He pulled it up between her legs, and went to pull the sticky tabs to attach it.

Hank frowned. "I can't seem to locate the fastening tabs."

Ororo chuckled, covering her mouth with one hand, gathering the attention of the others. "That's because you have it on backwards, Dr. McCoy." she teased.

"Backwards?" If one could see beneath the blue, one could imagine his blush. "It has been a long time..."

"You're as bad as Victor." Zoe said with a shake of her head. Standing, she gently took over her daughter's dressing. "Took him a good ten minutes to get frustrated enough to have Myst do it."

Hank watched her diaper the baby. "Victor. You mean Sabretooth."

"Yes."

With another smile for the now-dressed cub on the blue mat, Hank reached down and ran the back of his thumb across the baby's stomach. Sari sucked her tummy in, becoming still. "Ticklish, hmm?" He took hold of one tiny fist, letting the cub curl her fingers around his thumb. "Now then, let us take a look at those little claw- Ouch!" He quickly snatched his thumb away, looking at the four bleeding pricks on the fleshy pad of his finger. He scowled, confused, taking a closer look at the baby's hand. "That is quite and acute set of claws you have there, little one."

Zoe tried to hide her proud smile. "I do apologize, Hank." She said, her voice composed but light. "I did not file her nails last night after I bathed her last night." She pulled Sari up into her arms. "_Nous ne pouvons pas les laisser oublier que les chatons ont des griffes, aussi._" (We can't let them forget that kittens have claws, too.)

"She certainly does." said Hank, wiping his thumb with a handkerchief from his suit pocket.

Suddenly displeased, Sari's face crinkled and she let out a soft whimper. Zoe responded by settling down on the chair behind her and cuddling the baby in the crook of her arm.

"Lunchtime?" guessed Ororo with a smile.

"All the time." returned Zoe.

"I assume you are breastfeeding." said the blue mutant. He gave her a small smile, tapping the tip of his nose with his pen.

Zoe smirked, rolling her eyes with a nod. "Trying to say something, Monkey-man?" she asked playfully.

"Just being observant." he innocently returned.

"Noted."

"How frequently does she eat, and how long does she nurse each time?"

"About every other hour or so." Zoe answered. "Maybe ten minutes at a time and sometimes up to a half hour." She pulled Sari up to her shoulder, tucking the baby's head under her mother's chin. She pat the baby's back, purring softly to keep her quiet, but the baby would have none of it. Sari fussed louder. "She's started staying awake after eating now, too, instead of falling asleep."

"Hey, Jean, I was-" Scott walked into the classroom. Spotting Zee, he immediately did an about-face. "Good Lord, Zosia, cover yourself!"

The feral mother rolled her eyes. "I _am_ covered, you dick!"

"Half-naked? With your shirt under your chin?"

"And a baby to my breast." returned the girl. "You **wish** I were half-naked!"

"Scott." Xavier said, his voice a gentle warning.

"Professor, you know that I don't believe she should be doing things like that where the students could see it." said the man, continuing to stare into the hall. "It's not something-"

"You don't believe I should feed my daughter?" hissed the feral.

"Feed her all you like, but keep your chest covered by a shirt."

"And how do you expect me to pull that one off?"

"Give her a bottle."

"A bottle?" Zoe spat. "Why would I do something like that?"

"For decency."

The feral was quiet for a few seconds, calming herself. She turned her head towards Scott's back. "For decency."

"Scott, breastfeeding is only natural." Hank said. "And the best thing she could be doing for her infant, especially considering her prematurity." He took his glasses off, cleaning the lenses on his labcoat. "If it weren't something that was supposed to happen, the body would not produce milk the way it does."

"Yeah- what do you think boobs are for, Scott? Filling out my sweater?" Jean asked, her voice playful.

Zosia glanced over at Jean, and for a few seconds, a look akin to the expressions she normally would bestow upon Ororo or Marie flashing into her eyes. After that brief glinting, her eyes returned to their normally neutral glare. "Should the two of you decide one day to breed, I feel deeply sorry for your future offspring should Scooter here have much say in their care."

* * *

To be continued...

* * *

Well, what do you think? Review!

The Lady Mage


	17. Chapter 17

Greetings, and welcome from the Lady Mage!

This chapter is short, but I'm trying to update as often as possible. My last final for this semester was yesterday, so my schedule is a little more open to write for a while. :)

Ringtones:

Zoe from Vic: _E.T._- Katy Perry

Victor from Zoe: _Ride_- Rob Zombie

Victor from Mystique: _Little Piggy_- Rob Zombie

Read, enjoy, review!

The Lady Mage

Disclaimer: Don't own it or this would be a movie instead of a fanfiction.

* * *

_"Come on..." Zoe whispered, smiling down at the tiny cub laying beside her. The pretty feral lay on her side curled around their cub atop their bed of furs. Sari kicked her legs excitedly, awake and alert. "My sweet cub." Zee brought her hand up and gave the baby a gentle tickle on her belly. "Come on, baby. Smile for your Papa..."_

_Victor laid on the other side of his family so that Sari was comfortable sandwiched between her parents, his head propped up on his fist so he could watch his daughter. His cub's eyes- his eyes- peered up at him inquisitively, and he couldn't resist flashing his fangs at her. Toothless, the cub mirrored his expression, curling her top lip back to reveal the fleshy gums behind._

_Zoe laughed lightly, but poked his chest with one finger. "I'm trying to get her to smile for you," she said softly, playfully, "Not hiss and spit like a slighted kitten." She flashed him that sexy little half-smirk he loved, telling him she was more amused than displeased, and that if he continued with his current behavior she may just have to punish him for it later._

_Not that he minded. He'd have her panting beneath him, writhing against him, her body deep in the throes of passion, until she forgot whatever it was he was to be punished for. Victor smirked, his eyes dark as he watched her. He could pounce on her and she would have him right then and there- any who heard be damned._

_The redhead rolled her blue eyes, turning her attention back to her baby. "My poor little kitten." she murmured softly. "Just look at who I've chosen as your father. I think I've damned the both of us." She teased._

_His chuckle turned into a laugh, and Sari finally let out a big smile. When he looked down at her, she cooed up at him, her tiny arms waving excitedly in the air. The baby kicked her legs, wiggling between her parents. "Damned, my fat foot." he said to his cub, running the back of one claw down her soft cheek. "You tell yer _Maman_ that as long as Papa is here ain't nothin' gonna be able ta hurt either one of you." He dipped his head down and rubbed his chin along her forehead, scenting her. "You're safe, cub."_

_Zoe's pleased purr rewarded him, and he leaned up to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. "_Mon amant_." She gave him another sexy smirk. "Promise?"_

_"Promise." he returned, pulling her closer to him, pressing his lips to her neck. Beneath his lips, her skin turned ice cold. The scent of her blood hit him in the nose like a sharp left hook, burning down his throat. She fell back away from him, and he frowned in confusion as he tasted blood in his mouth. Turning his eyes down to her, he opened his mouth to ask her what the fuck that had been about, but the words choked in his throat._

_Blood stained the furs they lay on, soaking and matting the wolf pelts she'd sewn into blankets. Zoe's face was turned away from him, revealing the messy wound on her neck, her throat torn open. He sat up, chilled to the core, staring without understanding._

_'What? But.. Sari?!' Victor snapped his head down, looking for his cub where she had laid next to her mother, and immediately wished he hadn't. The infant was as broken as her _Maman_, her life ended the same way, her eyes- his eyes- staring lifelessly up to the ceiling._

_He reached his hand out to his broken cub, then snapped it back to see the blood that stained it._

_"What did I-"_

* * *

***_-LITTLE PIGGY, LITTLE PIGGY, WHAT DO YOU SEE? YOU'RE LOOKIN' AT DEATH WHEN YOU'RE LOOKIN' AT ME- LITTLE PIGGY, LITTLE PIGGY, WHAT SHOULD YOU DO? I AM THE DEVIL AND I'M COMIN' FOR YOU... LITTLE PIGGY, LITTLE PIGGY, WHAT DO YOU-_***

Victor sat up with a roar, clawing through the outer layer of the sleeping bag as though it were some spectre trying to keep him pinned down against the cooling bodies of his dead mate and cub. Sitting up in the pitch black room, naked now amid the shreds of what had been his bed, lucidity slowly returned to him. He was in Canada. He was in his old piece of shit cabin. He wasn't covered in blood. His mate and cub were not here- alive or dead.

***_-LITTLE PIGGY, LITTLE PIGGY, WHAT DO YOU SEE? YOU'RE LOOKIN' AT DEATH WHEN YOU'RE LOOKIN' AT ME- LITTLE PIGGY-_***

Jerking around, the feral grabbed his satophone. He recognized the ringtone, but couldn't give a shit what the fucking metamorph wanted. He sent the call to voicemail, and quickly clicked open his files, searching through his phone. After a few seconds, he found what he was searching for, and pulled it up to fill the screen.

_His_ Zee, _his_ Sari, filled the screen, sitting in the rocking chair in the school. The sight of it helped his heart to slow its rapid beating. He re-imprinted the picture to memory- Zee nursing their daughter, happy, healthy, whole- his shirt, his name over his mate's breast, his daughter's head- his cub's eyes shut as she drank from his mate's breast. Zee was _safe_- she was happy. She was in no danger. His cub was _safe_- she was happy. She was in no danger.

The sight of their bodies still burned behind his eyes. "FUCK!" He could still taste the phantom flavor of their blood. "FUCK!"

***_-LITTLE PIGGY, LITTLE PIGGY, WHAT DO YOU SEE? YOU'RE LOOKIN' AT DEATH WHEN YOU'RE LOOKIN' AT ME-_***

Hanging up on Mystique again, he quickly dialed Zoe's number, cursing when he had to redial it three times to get it right. He counted the rings- counted too many, jerking out of his bedding to grab some jeans.

"Hello? Victor?" Her voice was tired, but as melodic as any symphony in his ear. His heart immediately lurched, a feeling akin to guilt rising up to mingle with the fear, disgust, disbelief, anger- and sweet relief. "Victor?"

"Zee?" His voice came out in a rough croak.

"My love," Zoe's voice was concerned, the last hint of grogginess bled from it. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." he answered, his voice more gruff than he meant it to be. "Where is the cub? Where is Sari?"

He could practically hear her scowl. "She's in the bed with me."

In the background, he could hear the blankets shift and mattress creak. Another voice joined his mate's. "Zee? What's wrong?"

"Who the fuck is that?!"

"It's Ororo." answered Zoe, her voice gentle, appeasing. "It's just us and Sari." She spoke away from the phone. "Go back to sleep, _mon moka_- it's nothing."

Another blanket moved, the mattress again creaked, and he could hear his mate putting the phone to her shoulder while moving something else. After a few seconds, he heard the soft whimpers of his cub. Finally, his heartbeat settled back to its normal rhythm and he let out a relieved sigh. They were both alive and safe. He hadn't hurt them.

"Victor, _vous m'effrayez_." See murmured softly. "What is wrong?"

He stayed silent, listening to his cub's soft whimpers. "Nothing is wrong." he answered softly after a few tense moments. "Nothing at all." Sari let out a little grunt, and he smiled. "Everything is fine. I... just wanted to check on you both."

"You startled me." she whispered into the phone, her voice barely audible over the sounds of his cub and the creaking rocking chair. "I thought you may have been in trouble or hurt... Don't do that to me!"

He winced, hearing her breath shudder in her throat. He didn't want her to cry. '_Bout scare the living fuck outta yourself, then scare the holy fuck outta your mate. Great fuckin job, old man._' "_Liebchen..._" He tried to sound soothing, "_Ich bin traurig. Ich bedeutete dich ze erschrecken._" (Love. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you.)

"I know." she mumbled, trying to chuckle. "But with everything that has happened..."

"_Nicht schreien. Bitte._"

"_Ich nicht._ We're fine- Ro, quit!" His mate managed a small chuckle.

"What is going on over there?" he half-growled. '_What the fuck? What the fuck did she do that she's gotta quit while I'm on the phone?!_' He pulled his phone away to look at the digital clock. '_What the fuck is that white-haired bitch doing in there at three in the morning?... Hey, that bitch sounded like she was asleep in there!_'

"Hey, made you laugh." Ororo's voice sounded amused but sleepy. "Is your Sabretooth alive?"

"Yes, he is alive." returned his mate. "I'd be doing far more than sitting here tearing up if I learned he were..."

"Eh-hem." Victor cleared his throat. "I have a name." He snorted. "Zee, do you mind telling me what the **_fuck_** that woman is doing in there?"

He heard Zee snicker, and it only angered him, sending his mind racing into even dirtier thoughts than originally conceived. "What do you think, my love?" she asked coyly.

'_Alright now..._' Without a growl, he spoke just as coyly. "I'm thinking you better test out the video recording on that camera-phone." She chuckled at him, and his scowl deepened. "Zee..."

"Calm,_ mein lieb_." The redheaded feral purred, sending shivers down his spine. "I had another nightmare... like at home. Ororo keeps me company. Like Myst once did." She continued to purr in her momentary silence, giggling when he grunted. "How could you think such a thing of me?" she teased. "_Dass dein Korper leicht ersetzt wird?_" (That your body is so easily replaced?)

"I know it isn't." A snort. "But you sure as fuck ain't exactly talkin' me into growlin' for you."

"Victor!..._Sie wenn knurren... ich liebe es_." she purred. "Why not? _Bitte_?"

"_Nein._"

"_Bitte,_ Vic?"

He scowled darkly. "_Nein_, Zee."

"_Bitte..._"

"_Nein!_"

"_Mein Liebe, fur mich knurren... Bitte._"

"_Nein, Zee!_" he hissed.

"Close.. please?" He could hear the tease in her voice, toying with him like a cat with its prize mouse. "Maybe I could play it for Ororo and see if it gives her the same effects it does me?"

He couldn't help it. He let out a loud growl. "**ALRIGHT NOW, DAMNIT**-"

"There- now doesn't that feel better?"

The air left his lungs, leaving him feeling deflated. "Mother fuck."

"That's the idea." Zoe giggled again. "Sari's asleep again, babe. I'm going back to bed."

"Yeah, I bet you are." His phone vibrated against his ear as another call rang in. "I'll call you later then."

"Okay. Goodnight, my Victor."

"Yeah, yeah..."

Zoe kissed the phone before disconnecting, leaving him in silence.

Almost.

*_**-LITTLE PIGGY, LITTLE PIGGY, WHAT DO YOU-**_*

The tall blonde feral rolled his eyes, looking back down at his phone. So the blue broad was still alive after all. He took a deep breath, psyching himself up for the pain that always was talking to his pseudo sister-in-law instead of doing what he really wanted- imagined alone time with just his mate and that white-haired woman, both of them moaning beneath him.

Instead, he clicked the answer button. "Yeah?" he growled.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, asshole?" Mystique's voice hissed through the phone line. "Why the _fuck_ did you hang up on-"

Rolling his eyes, Victor disconnected her- half out of spite for the nagging blue bitch yelling over the phone, and half just for his own amusement. He almost chuckled, setting the phone down next to him to free up his hands. The room was growling cold, and the fire was almost out, so he tossed a few logs into the fireplace. In the midst of his stirring the fire back to life, his phone rang again. He settled back onto his haunches to answer it. "Hello?"

"Alright-" He could hear the poison in her voice. "_Hello_, Victor."

"Hello, Myst."

"You're alive, I see."

"Back at'cha." He smirked to himself. "I see you survived."

"Oh, about that, Victor," she paused, "Thank you so _VERY FUCKING MUCH FOR LEAVING ME THERE YOU SON OF_-"

*_**-click-**_*

If she wanted to talk to him, by God, she could do it in a civil tone of voice. Otherwise, she could go fuck herself. Zee wasn't here, unfortunately, and he couldn't give a fuck about what Mystique was doing- not with the thought of his mate and the weather witch sharing a bed in New York so fresh on his mind. Zoe had claimed it was innocent, and he did tend to believe her... of course, he didn't have to tell his imagination that...

Just as his thoughts were getting interesting again, his phone chimed back to life. With a bothered roll of his eyes, he answered. "Yes?"

"Is Zee alive? The baby?"

"Of course they are!"

He heard her relieved sigh. "Where are they? Are they with you?"

"No. Not with me."

"Then where?"

"Safe. Where are you?"

"Washington. Does Zee have her phone?"

"Where in Washington?"

"Don't you watch the news?"

"No."

She grunted. "Gods, Vic. I've been taking Senator Kelley's position. After I got out of the hospital, that is."

"Hospital?" He scowled at the surprise in his voice.

"Yeah."

Her voice was beginning to become irritated again, but he let it slide for curiosity's sake. "What the fuck were you doing in the hospital?"

The sound from her throat was a growl to make any feral proud. "Stabbed. Wolverine. Mother-fuck, Vic!"

"What?" he chuckled darkly, "I had more important shit on my agenda than babysitting your scaly, blue ass- namely trying to keep your fucking boyfriend alive." He switched ears with his phone, tucking his hair back. "That one-eyed mother fucker shot my ass off the statue. I stuck around a little while after swimming to shore- looked for you, Warts, Eric. Had to get back to Zee and the cub before long."

"And they're fine, right? You said they were safe. Where did you hide them?"

"They're down in West Chester." he answered with a dissatisfied grunt. "With the little XMen."

"With the XMen?"

"Eric is the one who told me to take them there." he growled. "She wanted to trust him so I fucking let her. They're safe down there. Who's going to look for an unknown mutant terrorist's unknown wide in a school?"

Mystique was silent for a few moments. "I heard about Warts."

"Oh." Victor scratched the hair on his chin. "Yeah."

"They actually gave him a proper-"

In the backgroud, he heard the creak of a door opening wide, and the shuffling of papers on a table. "Honey, are you coming to bed?" asked a female voice.

Senator Kelly's voice answered her. "Yes, dear. In just a moment. I'm almost through- just one last minute call to the head of state... you know how it goes."

"Okay- it's just that it's so late-"

"Honey, you know that what I am doing is very important work here. I will come to bed when I can come to bed- I just have to finish this first."

"Alright, dear. I'll leave the hall light on for you." The door shut with a soft click.

"Fucking nosy bitch." Mystique's voice hissed into the phone. "I think we did that fucking human a _favor_ by killing him!"

The thought to laugh out loud reached him, but his face retained its scowl. He grunted instead.

"Look," Mystique said, her voice uncharacteristically tired, "I just wanted to know if you guys were alive or dead. I better go before that stupid old cow comes back down here... I'll be in touch."

The feral managed a snort and a smile. "Don't fuck around and get your ass killed- Zee'll come after the both of us."

The shape-shifter chuckled. "Okay. Night, Snaggletooth."

"Fuck off, Smurf." He disconnected the call with a soft click, tucking his phone back into his bag beside his torn bedding. Ignoring the pile of rags, he laid back down across it on his stomach, crossing his arms and resting his chin on them. Watching the moonlight glowing across the wall in front of him, he let his mind wander back to... more interesting things... Things like what in the world his mate and her bedpartner could be doing right now...

* * *

Well, what did you think? Tell me in a review!

The Lady mage


	18. Chapter 18

Greeting from The Lady Mage! Another shorter chapter, but I figure shorter chapters more often were just as good as long chapters every couple of weeks. IDK, you tell me.

Ready, enjoy, review!

~The Lady Mage

* * *

FERITY: (fehr-ih-tee) - (noun) - 1.) The state of being wild or untamed. 2.) Savagery; Ferocity.

* * *

The night was slowly ticking away to the tune of the grandfather clock across the room, chiming that the hour was now seven o'clock in the evening. The sky had darkened a good hour earlier, and the chill from outside had painted little pictures of snowflakes on all the window panes. For a Friday night, the mansion was quite quiet- the only noise after dinner being the oohs and ahhs of the many students sitting in the rec room down the hall. It was movie night at Xavier's School for the Gifted.

Earlier in the day, Jean and Ororo had left the mansion to retrieve two movies and enough pizza to feed a small army. They'd returned with the pizza and a PG movie for the younger students and a PG-13 for the other ones. Dinner had been taken at six o'clock, and forty minutes later all the children in the mansion were settled to watch their movies, lounged on the couches and in the chairs that Jean had moved around the big screen tv.

"Come on, Miss Grey! Can we start the movie now?" Artie jumped up and down in front of the red-headed doctor. "Please? Please?"

"She'll start it in a minute, Artie. Settle down." Kitty laughed, taking a seat between Piotr and Flea.

You young mutant ceased his jumping, turning to her before sticking his black forked tongue in her direction. When she merely squinted an eye at him, he resumed his jumping. "Please-please-please?"

Scott, standing beside Jean, gave the boy a chastising expression. "Alright, Artie," he said, catching the young boy mid-jump. With a strong arm, he supported the boy, then placed him down on the floor beside a few other boys his age. "We will start the movie just as soon as everyone is here and being quiet."

With his words, the younger children sat still, straight-faced as possible, and turned their attention to the blue screen in front of them. The older students quickly followed suit as the professor entered the room to take his place beside the couch where Jean, Scott, Ororo, and Zoe were to sit.

What did you pick out?" asked Ororo, crossing her legs at the knee from her seat on the couch. "Not another dirty film, I hope."

Scott flushed. "I tell you now like I have told you a thousand times over: They put the wrong disc in the case at the rental store!"

Zosia smirked, looking him up and down, but it was Ororo who spoke. "Sure they did, Scott."

"Keep telling yourself that, hon." teased Jean, playfully pinching his cheek.

"You're so mean to that boy." Rogue said to the telekine, settling down between Bobby and John.

"They deserve it." Jubilee commented, picking at a bowl of popcorn beside them.

"Anyway," the professor cut in, "What did you get?"

"Shrek III." answered the Cyclops. "Everybody ready?"

"Well, I'm out." said Zosia, hopping up from the couch. She gently lifted Sari from Ororo's lap. "I'm taking up residence in the library."

"You're not gonna watch?" asked Jean.

"If I wanted to watch a big, green, foul-smelling ogre traipse about the countryside, I'd make a return visit to Ireland to see Blob." she answered. "And if I needed a walking, talking, purring kitten for a companion, I'd go find my mate." She turned and began walking towards the doorway into the hall. "And as for the talking donkey- there are more than enough jackasses walking around here as it is."

She looked to Rogue. "Want to join me while the children watch their movie?" The teen glanced back at Bobby and John. They were whispering around her conspiratorially. Without a word to them, she stood up to join the feral at the door. "_Mon moka_?"

"I think that a book would be more interesting." said the windrider. "Can the two of you handle it alone for the night?" she asked Jean and Scott.

"Sure." Jean said, taking her seat. "Go ahead."

* * *

In the library, Zosia lay settled on the couch, supporting Sari to sit on her stomach. The baby, awake and alert, grinned a toothless smile at her mother. Beside her, Rogue sat with the remote, changing the channels on the smaller media television in front of them. On the far end of the couch, Ororo was curled up with a novel. They'd turned the lights on, keeping the room bright, and enjoyed the quiet as they listened to the children laugh down the hallway.

Sari cooed, shaking her arms up and down. Rogue settled her remote down between herself and Ororo, and turned her attention to the cub. "Are you in a good mood tonight, Cub?" she asked, wiggling her gloved fingers to catch the baby's attention. The cub turned her head to see the teenager, opening her mouth in a wide, toothless grin. "Aww, babydoll, aren't you sweet tonight."

"Oh yeah, she's an angel today because she got all her aggression out last night." commented the weather witch with a chuckle.

Zosia smirked, amused. "Babies cry." she said simply, turning Sari so that the baby faced Rogue. "She's just going through a growth spurt. She's hungry."

"Come on, Sari." Rogue said to the baby, holding Sari's hands in her own. "I know there's another smile in there somewhere. Where'd you hide it, hmm?" Sari cooed again. "Come on- you get to keep your Mommy and Storm awake aaaaaall night! That's worth a smile!" The baby seemed to smirk, but didn't smile.

"We'll have to catch her in a good humor and take another picture." said Zoe. "I haven't sent Victor a pic in a few days now." The feral sat forward, settling Sari into her lap. "Anyway, I am quite thirsty. Anyone want anything while I'm up? Marie?"

"No thanks." said the teen, still playing with the cub.

"Okay then, do me a favor instead?"

"Hm?" Marie almost frowned. "What favor?"

Without answering, Zoe pulled the sling from around her body, wrapped it around Sari, and gently settled the baby into Marie's lap. The teen stiffened, and Zoe left her hand on her cub's back. "Can you hold her?"

"I-but.." Marie gave the feral a wild look. "My skin- Zoe, you know about.. I-she.."

"She's wrapped up."Zoe said soothingly, reaching out with a gentle hand to tug on Marie's shirt sleeve. "And you are all covered up." She met Rogue's eyes. "I know you won't hurt her."

"I'm right here." Ororo said, setting her book down. "If you get uncomfortable, I can take her."

After a few seconds, Marie nodded, ever-so-carefully lifting Sari up to rest in her arms. "Okay."

The feral mother watched for a second or so longer, then stood up and slipped from the room. She lurked outside the doorway for a few seconds, listening to make sure her cub didn't cry before heading to the kitchen for a drink.

When she returned with a can of soda, Ororo and Marie were sitting side-by-side, giving their full attention to a now grumpy Sari. The cub rested in the crook of Marie's arms, fussing in displeasure. Zoe settled her soda on the side-table before taking her cub back into her arms.

"She's getting sleepy, I think." said Marie.

"Maybe." said Zoe softly, taking her seat back on the couch. The babe let out a whimper, scrunching her face. "Now, now." Zoe clucked her tongue at her cub, letting out a soft purr to soothe her.

With the baby quieted, the three women relaxed back into the couch cushions, turning their attention to the television while Zoe's purring lulled Sari to sleep. Ororo had the remote, and lifted it up to change the channel. Before the button was pressed, a news flash broke into the commercials.

"**_WE NOW INTERRUPT YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING TO BRING YOU THIS, STRAIGHT FROM ACTION NEWS CHANNEL FOUR._**" A blonde reporter came on the screen, sitting at a desk with a stack of papers in her hands. "_We're bringing you breaking news on last month's Mutant Terrorist Attacks on Liberty Island. As you may know, the mutant terrorist, Erik Lehnsherr, also known as Magneto, was captured on the night of the attacks. Also found on the scene was one Mortimer Toynbee, also known as the mutant Toad, dead on the scene, but the mutants known as Mystique and Sabretooth are still at large._" Surveillance video shorts came across the screen, cycling from a grainy picture of Warts to Mystique to Victor.

Zoe scowled. Rogue sucked in a breath, reaching out a compassionate gloved hand and putting it on Zoe's thigh. The feral didn't pay her any mind, too distracted by the television screen.

"_We now have reason to believe that the mutant terrorist, Victor Creed, also known as Sabretooth, has been hiding out in upstate New York, and we have video surveillance footage of the suspect from three separate towns in Franklin County. It is believed that he is moving north, and police, along with Border Security, have stationed all available officers at all tollbooths along Franklin, St. Lawrence, and Clinton counties..._"

The redheaded feral visibly jerked, her heart lurching in her chest, watching as a map of New York flashed on the screen. Three little yellow stars showed where her mate had been spotted before the screen panned back to the anchorwoman.

"_...believed he is looking for a place to cross the Canadian border. Police say that they are confident that this time he will be caught, and brought in for prosecution. He was last seen in Clinton county, as seen in this surveillance video footage from..._"

A grainy black and white gas station surveillance video showed on the screen without sound. Zoe immediately recognized her mate, standing in line at the register, waiting impatiently to pay for whatever was in his hands, behind two burly truck drivers and a young teenage girl. Zoe almost couldn't believe her eyes. She would know his face anywhere. He'd pulled his long hair back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, and trimmed his brows down the tiniest bit. His beard was gone, but growing back, and he'd donned a pair of blue jeans with his yellow AC/DC shirt and jean jacket.

The picture was terrible, but his 7'2 frame stood out like a sore thumb as he shifted his weight and checked his watch. Even without his height- or the shot of his face- the way he walked, carried himself, the way he shifted his weight without moving his hips, was a dead giveaway. That was her Victor on the screen; there was no doubt about it.

He had been seen.

Now the police for damn sure knew he had survived the fall from the statue's head! He hadn't broken his neck or drowned in the water- he hadn't been eaten by a shark or swept out to sea. He was alive and well- healthy, kicking, buying three boxes of fucking Twinkies at a ShortStop in Clinton County!

Zoe's lungs were burning, and she realized she had been holding in her breath. She quickly sucked in a lungful of air. "Oh my goddess..."

Hearing the feral's voice, Ororo suddenly remembered she was there. "Zee, it's-"

"How could- how the hell?" Zoe shook her head, pulling Sari up onto her shoulder, cuddling her little piece of Victor. "He's supposed to be up in Canada right now!"

"Zee, don't worry about it." Ororo said softly.

"Don't worry about it?" Zosia half-heartedly hissed. "What about this isn't worth worrying about?"

"You don't think he'll be caught do you?" asked Marie, watching the screen.

"What if he is?" Zoe sighed. "What will happen to him if they catch him? Would they even try to catch him or would they just try to shoot to kill?"

"Doesn't he heal like Logan?" Marie mumbled.

"The healing factor-" Ororo said, putting her hand on Zoe's shoulder. "Don't you both heal very quickly?"

"We can still bleed to death!" Zoe shrugged the windrider's hand off her shoulder, standing up with Sari in her arms. The movement re-awoke the baby, and Sari let out a tired cry. Her attention turned to her cub. "What will happen to us if he is caught?"

"Nothing is going to happen to you or Sari!" Ororo hopped off the couch. "You two are safe here- you know that the professor would never send you away."

"We don't belong here, Ororo." Zoe half-growled. "I'm not an X-Man; I belong with the Brotherhood! I belong with Victor!"

Jean sprinted into the room with Scott at her heals. Charles was not far behind. The three came to a halt just inside the library, eyes turning from Zoe to the television. Scott relaxed his stance, walking up to the back of the couch.

"What is going on?" asked Charles.

"They've spotted Sabretooth." Marie answered in a soft voice, giving Zoe another worried look. "In Clinton county yesterday."

"What's the problem?" asked Scott, taking the remote from the couch. He rewound the DVR to watch the newsflash from its beginning.

"The problem?" Zoe hissed. Her tone of voice made the baby in her arms jump and let out a frightened cry. "What if he is caught?"

"He did the crime, he should-"

"Scott!" Charles cut him off, rolling his chair next to the fearless leader. "We should have a little compassion."

"Compassion? For what? The man is a savage criminal- he gives mutants a bad name! He deserves nothing less than to be caught and tried for his crimes- period, end of story." returned the man.

"This is a time, Scott," said the elder, his tone of voice gaining the full attention of his oldest student. "Where everything is not as black and white as it would seem. Think of Sari- of Zosia. That is her mate on the screen there. That is Sari's father. What of them?"

"But what of him? Of Victor?" the feral asked, rubbing Sari's back to soothe her. "What would happen to him? I don't think even he has enough money to buy all the lawyers and judges it would take to have him acquitted."

"I don't know, Zoe." said Charles.

"And that's even should they give him a trial. It would be easy for them to just take him out in the woods somewhere and behead him." Zoe's eyes hardened as she moved to pace like a caged lion along the far wall. Sari continued her whimpers and fussing, slowly calming down. "And we would never know! The don't and won't know about us, and for damn sure wouldn't go public with his execution."

"Zosia, my dear," the Professor said, using Erik's endearment in an attempt to calm the feral. "A mutant with Sabretooth's reputation... if they caught him, with all the recent events, the anti-mutant groups would turn his arrest into a media circus. He would be the ideal candidate to rally their troops for the registration of mutants- for the legalization of experimentation on dangerous mutants. In this case, no news is good news."

With a sound between a growl and a roar, Zoe's eyes bled of color, darkness inking them black. She paused her step, glaring daggers at the professor. "So you are saying that I would have to watch his arrest- his disgrace, his humiliation- and then his execution? That I will one day have to tell my daughter that her father died like a fucking dog in front of the entire fucking world?"

"Who says you'd have to tell her anything? Jean asked, watching on the other side of Scott. "She could read about it in her history book at school if he is caught. The professor is right- bringing him in, or bringing Mystique in, would be huge."

"So help me, Jean..." Zoe's voice was a low, rumbling growl. "If you don't shut your mouth..."

Jean's eyes widened. "No, I didn't mean it like it sounded! I just meant like the professor said... Sorry."

"No matter, telekine." hissed the feral. "Maybe if Scott's dick spent as much time in your mouth as you fucking foot does, he'd be a hell of a lot nicer to be around." With an angry snort in the telekine's direction, the feral spun and fled the room.

* * *

The mark had gone down quickly- too quickly. Stupid, frail things these human beings were. He had slit the human's windpipe open, and then watched as it had choked on its own blood. Not nearly as messy as he liked, the corpse had slumped down to the kitchen floor like a discarded rag doll. That was just as well, he guessed, as he really only had to wash the blood from his hands. He rather liked this particular Zepplin shirt, and would have been very pissed to lose it.

He carefully washed all the blood away in the kitchen's stainless steel sink, watching the blood make pretty swirling patterns as it was rinsed from his clawed hands. Satisfied they were clean, he dried his hands on a paper towel, then stuck it in the back pocket of his jeans. Grabbing up the bottle of industrial strength acetone, he covered his nose with a silk handkerchief before dumping half the bottle down the sink's drain. He didn't give two shits if they police recovered his DNA from this small-time hit or not, but it brought the feral some sense of pleasure to know that he made it as fucking hard as possible on them.

Victor glanced back at the corpse cooling on the cheap linoleum floor. The brown eyes stared up at him as they glassed over in death, the last of their moisture evaporating away. With a grunt, he screwed the cap back on the acetone bottle, backing a few feet away from the strong chemical smell. "That ten grand better hit my bank account before the morning." he growled to himself, "This shit offends." Moving to straddle the corpse, getting a better look at his mark, Victor smirked darkly. "Should have kept your ass alive long enough to spoon-feed you this shit. We could of had some fun, eh, Judge?" A small amount of blood dribbled down the man's neck from the wound- deep, dark arterial blood. "If your wife is anything like mine is, she's going to be very fucking pissed off that you're getting blood everywhere, Judge."

***_~Kiss me, k-k-kiss me- Infect me with your lovin'- Fill me with your poison- Take me, t-t-take-~_***

He pulled his phone from his back pocket. "Hello? Zee?"

* * *

Love it? Hate it? Tell me in a review!

~The Lady Mage :)


	19. Chapter 19

Greeting from The Lady Mage!

Another shorter chapter, but it's easier for me to chunk it up this way it seems. There's a ton of expletives in this one- pardon the crass nature of argument. Anyway... yeah, hope you enjoy. Thanks!

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, yeah, if I owned it I wouldn't be this damn broke.

* * *

FERITY: (fehr-ih-tee) - noun - 1. The state of being wild or untamed. 2. Savagery; ferocity.

* * *

"_Ou etes-vous?_" Zoe didn't bother to hide the growing desperation in her voice, nor did she try to hide the tears that finally began to spill from her eyes. Curling up against her headboard in her room, Sari wrapped up in her arms, the pretty feral pulled her knees up in an unnecessary attempt to shield herself. (Where are you?)

He paused on the other end, and she could hear him shift his phone to his other ear. "_Je suis a Albany._" he answered, his voice gruff. "_Pourquoi?_" (I'm in Albany. Why?)

"Why are you back in New York? You had one job then said you'd stay in Canada!" She fought back the growl in her throat. "You're going to get your big blonde ass caught!"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you getting shot, arrested, or killed!"

"Why would I be shot or arrested or killed?" He slammed a truck door, hard, in the background.

"For being a cocky son of a bitch that doesn't realize how his actions affect others!"

"Fuckin' what?"

"You were seen. Your ass was on the seven o'clock news. They've spotted you- now they knew for a fact you are still alive!"

"What news?" he growled, his voice agitated.

"The fucking _news_-news, Vic!" she hissed, choking back a sob. "They saw you in some gas station, and-"

"Mother fuck." he cut her off. "Zee, I don't have the time for this right now. I'm in the middle of something."

"I don't care! You have to be more careful!"

She heard him snort. "Listen, Zee, I've been doing this shit for years. If I haven't been caught yet, I won't be."

The redhead growled. "And if you are?"

"And what if the sky falls tomorrow?" he snorted.

"Asshole." She stood from her spot on the bed. "Nice attitude you have there."

"Hey, now listen up, girlie-"

"No, you listen!" She cut him off. "You ever stop to think 'Oh, hey, Zee is still out there waiting for me?'" She slunk into the rocking chair. "And what of Sari?"

"What about Sari?" he snarled into the phone.

"God damnit, Vic- it's not just you anymore! You have a mate and a cub, too!"

"I don't need this shit right now, Zee!" Another door slamming. "I'm in the middle of a fucking job!"

"You don't need this shit?" She almost cracked her phone in her hand. "What the fuck- you think I do? I'm stuck in West Chester with Sari- without you! Eric's in jail, Warts is fucking _dead_, and you've _abandoned_ me with the fucking X-Men?!"

"... I don't have time for this bullshit. Bye."

**(*click*)**

The feral yanked the phone from her ear as though it had bitten her. He'd hung up on her? "That fucker!" she hissed.

A soft knock on the door drew her attention. Ororo poked her head in cautiously, and offered the feral a worried smile. "Are you okay?" She slipped inside, leaving the door open a few inches behind her.

"Fucker hung up on me." Zee tried to quell the angry fire behind her eyes, rocking her and the cub in her chair. She quickly redialed Victor's number, settling the phone on speaker onto the side table so she could situate the cub more comfortably in her lap.

"Hung up on you?"

"The jerk." dead-panned Jean from the hallway, following the wind-rider into the room.

"Get lost, telekine!" hissed the feral. "It's none of your business."

"If you are talking to a known terrorist on the phone, then it becomes our business." Scott's voice came from the hallway.

"Kiss my ass, you _prick_!"

The teacher slash team leader pushed past Jean, coming to the room with his finger pointed in Zoe's direction. "Now you see here, Zosia." he began, his voice agitated. "I am sick and tired of this-"

"Fuck you, Scott." Zoe let out a low, warning growl. That Scott wouldn't understand its implications meant little to her- neither did the little click on her phone when Victor picked up his phone.

"I think what we have here is a mis-communication. You are-" Scott took three steps in Zoe's direction.

Ororo had to good sense to back away. "Zee, don't."

"**WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?**" Victor's voice came from the phone on the side table. His voice was loud, authoritative, pissed.

Scott ignored it. "Just because the Professor lets you run wild without having to-"

"Motherfucker, one more step this way is going to land you in the city _morgue_!" Zoe's growl increased tenfold, the sound from her throat mimicking her mate's.

"**Zee!**"

The redheaded feral ignored her mate's voice from the speakerphone on the table, her eyes bleeding black as she glared at the brown-haired man trying to scold her. He'd stopped his advancement as soon as her eyes had changed. '_Funny,_' she thought, '_Perhaps he has learned something._' She could smell his anger, and it only added to her own. "You _knew_ where I came from. You were _there_ when he dumped me off here! _SO DON'T BE SO FUCKING SURPRISED_ that I _TALK_ to him when _HE_- like it or _NOT_- is my fucking _MATE_." Casually to the untrained eye, but calculating to the observant, the feral stood from her rocking chair and laid Sari in her bassinet without breaking her eyes from the fearless leader. "And like I've said before, asshole- **I DON'T GIVE A FLYING FUCK WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT.**"

"Mate, husband, whatever- I don't care! This is still a school!" Scott snapped, "There are children here we have to protect! There is no room here for Sabretooth!"

"**I DON'T WANT A FUCKING ROOM, ONE-EYE! WHAT THE BLOODY FUCK IS GOING ON OVER THERE?**"

"You shut up!" Scott said in the direction of the desk. He looked back at Zoe. "You need to calm down- NOW. There is too much-"

"**HEY, YOU BETTER BACK THE FUCK UP, MOTHERFUCKER!**" Victor yelled across the phone. Another slam, glass shattered.

"Oh, _now_ you fucking care?" hissed Zoe. In the bassinet, Sari began to cry again, afraid of the loud voices.

"_God damnit, Zee!_"

"Shut up, Vic!"

Jean, in a moment of clarity, grabbed Scott by the arm and gave it a tug towards the door. "Come on." she said to him. "We should be downstairs with the children."

"_Hey, you don't tell me to shut up, Zosia Creed!_"

"I'll tell you whatever the fuck I like, Victor Thomas William! _FICK DICH_!"

"_Why don't you shut the FUCK up and feed the fucking cub so she'll shut up?_"

"Why don't you shut the FUCK up and keep your hairy ass off the damned TV?!"

"_I told you not to worry about that shit._"

"If you think I don't sit here worrying about you ass then I've been sleeping with the wrong feral for that last two years!"

"_Fuckin' **WHAT**?_" Victor snarled. "_I'm not gonna sit here and yell with you, Zee! You go take care of your fucking cub- I'll go take care of my own shit!_"

**(*click*)**

Zoe half-roared. "Did he just hang up on me again? Fucking ass!" She snatched her phone up, ignoring Jean pulling Scott from her room. "That fucking tom is _**DEAD**_! I'm gonna _**NEUTER**_ that son of a bitch!" She tossed her phone on the bed. When she turned back to Sari's bassinet, Ororo was pulling the baby into her arms, comforting the crying cub.

"Sari, you poor thing." Ororo murmured, cradling then cub in her arms.

*_**-Ride- Dirty, sweet, and filthy- Ride- Beat your hands on me-**_*

The feral snarled, grabbing her phone back from the bed and holding it to her ear with a clicking of claws. "What?"

"_And another thing, bitch,_" Victor snarled. "_I didn't **abandon** your ass anywhere! I did what _YOU_ wanted me to do and that was listen to your fucking BUCKETHEAD FATHER!_"

"You obviously weren't listening to me or you would have known I didn't care what Eric wanted- I wanted to be with you!" she hissed back into her phone. "All the fucking money in the world and you dump me off here? You couldn't have given me the keys to the penthouse?!"

"_It's too dangerous! It'll only be so long before all that shit is traced back to me and you'd have been found there. Is that what you want?_"

"No! What I want is to get past all this fucking madness!" Zoe paced the floor at the foot of the bed. "I'm sick of blindly following you- I'm sick of blindly following Eric! Where has it landed me? Why couldn't Sari and I have stayed anywhere in the city while you were out playing hide and go fuck yourself with the FBI?"

"_You and Eric chose this-_"

"NO, you didn't want to think for yourself so you just fell in line behind Eric. Good riddance to all your fucking burdens- so glad to be of service."

"_Burdens? What the fuck do you think you are to me?_"

"Apparently not as much as I once thought."

"_You think you're so smart- that you know _everything_ there is to know. Girl, you don't know jack fucking **SHIT**! You've been so sheltered by Eric and Mystique that you wouldn't know the real world if it spit in your face! I've been there and done that! This ain't my first rodeo- I've been running since I was a boy, and I ain't plannin' on stoppin' anytime fuckin' soon!_" Victor spat, his voice venom. "_For over a hundred fucking years I've done this shit and had no problems- until **NOW**!_"

"So then everything is my fault then." Zoe could feel her incisors lengthening and her claws growing sharper. "Life was just great until you met me, huh?"

"_**YES!**_" he yelled. "_I didn't have to worry about anything else because **fuck** everything else! I should have left you in the woods in that fucking TREE!_"

"Well I'm glad to see I've been such an affliction on you." Her voice mimicked her sister's- her voice half human and half panther-ess roar.

"_Whatever, bitch._"

**(*click*)**

The little blue phone was again tossed on the bed, and the feral ignored when it bounced off somewhere behind the nightstand. The feral, not fully in control of herself, continued to pace for a few seconds, trying to blink back the blackness of her eyes. The hairs along her forearms and on the nape of her neck refused to lay back down, and the muscles in her arms and thighs twitched, begging for something to do.

"Are you going to be okay?" Ororo asked cautiously, watching the feral try to calm down.

"No." Zee half-hissed, glaring towards the window. "I have to get out of here." Her claws extended to the point of pain, she rushed to the window, throwing it open.

"Wait- what are you-" Ororo watched the girl step onto the snowy window ledge. "Zee!"

"I'll be back." said the feral, gracefully jumping to the ground below.

The wind-rider watched out the window as the feral zipped across the grand lawn, leaving only a handful of footprints in the snow, before scaling the wall and disappearing on the other side.

* * *

Sari had taken a good ten minutes to calm. Ororo had changed the baby's diaper and settled her into a soft, warm sleeper for the evening before taking her back downstairs to find Charles. With the sleepy cub cradled in her arms in Zoe's sling, the wind-rider quietly slipped down the stairs. At the first floor landing, Charles was waiting for her, his arms rested across his lap, and his eyes seeming very far away.

"Professor?" She slowed to a stop next to him.

"Yes?" Charles's eyes refocused, turning up to look at the dark-skinned mutant in front of him. "Oh, yes, Ororo." He gave her a small smile. "Playing Nanny today are we?"

"Zoe jumped out the window." said Ororo. "And hopped the fence."

"Yes, she's not far from here. I've been keeping a bit of a tab on her." The professor touched his fingers to his temples. "She's quite upset, and taking it out on the local wildlife about a mile from here."

"Poor wildlife." mused the wind-rider.

"Better the wildlife than the mansion or the children." returned the professor. "Which is quite possible with that one."

"Do you really think she would hurt the children? Even with one of her own?" Ororo asked, taking a seat on the second stair, putting herself level with Charles.

"Perhaps not on purpose." Charles gave her a warm smile. "Ferals- especially those like Zosia or Sabretooth- or even Logan sometimes- have wild personalities, and even wilder tempers. It just depends on how well they can reign in the animal brain to let the human side weigh in." He reached out and give Ororo's shoulder a fatherly pat. "You and Zosia have seemed to bond very well over the past month or so. Surely you've picked up on this."

She only nodded once. "A little bit, I suppose. It's still a tad bit strange, really." She settled Sari so that the baby was sitting leaned in her lap. "I don't know how in the world I understand that overgrown kitten... I just do. She can look at me or make some offhanded gesture and I know exactly what she wants or is asking... The other day she halfway grunted at me and I knew whether or not she needed Sari's pacifier or her blanket."

Charles chuckled softly. "Well, your mutation isn't too terribly far off from ferals." He explained. "You have control of the weather- the one thing on this planet that is wild and untamed- yet you can make the sun shine or the rain pour at your bidding. Being one with nature doesn't only mean being one with the clouds."

Comfortable in her surrogate mother's lap, Sari let out a sleepy yawn, her brown eyes slipping closed. Ororo resettled her, pulling her fur sling around the cub to keep her warm.

"You're worried about Zosia." Charles said, holding out his arms to the cub. "She will be back in a few moments. Why don't you go wait for her out the backdoor? She wants to speak with you."

"Okay." said Ororo, gently settling the cub into Charles's arms. "I _am_ a little worried."

"Oh, you're heavy for your size." said the professor to the baby as he cradled her in his arms. "Or has it been that long since I've held a baby, hmm?" Sari answered him with another yawn, slipping into sleep with a soft contented purr.

With the cub safely in Charles's arms, Ororo quietly made her way to the back door, walking out onto the back patio. The children had swept the snow from the granite tiles earlier in the day, using the snow for snowball fights and to build the line of little snowmen standing watch over the back gardens. A fresh dusting of the white fluff had spoiled the students' efforts, adding a few inches in height to every surface outside. Ororo walked to the edge of the patio, her arms crossed over her abdomen against the cold. She didn't bother to grab a coat or shoes, nor did she pull down her scrunched up shirt sleeves. Cold didn't really bother her much anymore.

Across the courtyard, a dark figure dropped down from the cinder block wall surrounding the school. Standing from their crouch, the figure silently stalked up to the school, stopping just outside of the range of light from the single porch light above the back door. "...Hey."

"Feel better?" Ororo asked softly.

Zoe stepped into the light. She was covered head to toe in blood, dried and frozen to her skin and clothes. Chunks of gore hung in her curly hair and clung between her fingers. "_Oui. Un peu._" she answered quietly, crossing her arms self-consciously around her chest. "I, uh... just want to apologize for my... outburst." She met Ororo's eyes, walking up to the woman. "I know this is a school. _Je suis_... I'm sorry for my language... And I'm sorry I took off like that."

Ororo only shook her head with a soft, forgiving grunt. "Aren't you freezing to death?"

"Death? No. Freezing my ass off? Yes." returned the feral. "Blood is hot when you spill it but it cools terribly quickly."

"What are you covered in?"

"Deer- two doe."

"Yuck." Ororo crinkled her nose.

"Yeah, I need a hell of a bath." Zosia held her hands out in front of her for examination. "Where is Sari?"

"The professor has her. She's asleep." Ororo looked at the bloody, muddy footprints the feral left in her wake. "Hold on- you're going to have to leave your shoes down here." Zosia looked down at the path she'd made with a mumbled curse, pulling her shoes off and setting them by the back door.

* * *

The brown paper sack in his lap was bleeding grease. The warm, slick feeling was beginning to soak through his jeans where it perched. He was too pissed off to care at that point, trying to drive to his motel without speeding and attracting law enforcement while slopping down a few grease-ball cheeseburgers and fries. Swallowing the last bite of his second burger, he let out a snarl.

"Fucking bitch fucking distracting me..." he growled aloud to himself, "It's not like I fucking smiled for the fucking birdie! I would have gutted anyone trying to take a pic of my mug, fuck-you very much!" He blew a strand of hair out of his face. "Not like I'm the fuckin Bluebutt- I been doin' this shit for the better part of the last century! Shit isn't kid's play!"

* * *

_"At least you had the good sense to hide Zee and the baby away." Mystique had said to him on the phone earlier that day. He'd been eating breakfast when she had called. "Instead of gallivanting off across the countryside with them in tow."_

_"I ain't that stupid, Myst." he had growled back._

_"I can almost see that."_

_"What the fuck do you want, ya yappy blue broad? Ya don't sound like ya called up here just ta chit-chat."_

_"Well sufferin' succotash, Vic." she'd purred over the phone, using an obvious lisp to mock his pissed off accent._

_"What'daya want?"_

_"I came across some paperwork about Eric." she answered, serious. "I think I know where he is, and I want you to help me get him out."_

_He snorted. "How?"_

_"Look, can you meet me? I told that fuckin' cow I was on a business trip. I'm in Albany."_

_"I don't know... What do you think we're gonna do?"_

_"I don't know, Snagglepuss- that's why I'm askin! Can you come or not?"_

_He smirked. "Well, not if you're garbed up like that bastard, Kelley. And I don't think Zee would approve."_

_"Victor, I'm being serious."_

_"Yeah, yeah, I'll see what I can do."_

* * *

At the thought of his mate, he almost smiled. Yeah, he loved Zosia- as much as he could, really. He also loved the cub. It surprised him sometimes, really, that he was capable of such a thing after all the shit his parents had put him through so very long ago. He shook the memories from his head before they could manifest. Just because he loved Zee did not mean she could yell at him. He was the man of this operation and she had never been given any reason to doubt him! Hell, no!

'Damn, she sounded real upset...'

He grabbed his phone with his greasy fingers, not caring to sully the expensive electronic. His fingers dialed Zee's phone number without him having to look, but his thumb paused over the send button.

"Why the fuck am I calling her?" he hissed to himself. "I told her I was busy, but she just kept on fuckin' yellin'... Nag, nag, nag, nag, nag, nag, nag!... Well, fuck, that's not really true..." He set his jaw. "Bitch." He tucked the phone back in his pocket. Another block down he pulled it back out to check for messages. Nothing. He tucked it away again. This time it stayed for a full ten seconds. "God-fucking-damnit!" He punched in her number again and pushed send. "I'm calling for the fuckin' cub! Not for her! For Sari!" he groused aloud. "Nothing wrong with that!"

* * *

Back in her room, showered and dressed in fuzzy, lavender, fleece pajama bottoms and a soft white tee, Zoe sat, drained, on the bed. She was wide awake, but felt so sleepy inside. Her heckles wouldn't settle back down, leaving her on edge. She pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her arms across them, watching Ororo rock Sari in the rocking chair.

"Are you going to be alright?" asked the wind-rider, watching the feral stew.

"Yeah." murmured the mother. "I'll be fine." She let out a tired sigh, holding back tears. "It's just... he's never yelled at me like that before."

Ororo smiled. "You've never fought before? Ever? In two years?"

"We've fought, but... Not like this- yelling across the phone. He was really angry." She frowned. "I was only worried about him, 'Ro."

"I know." Ororo said softly. "But that's men sometimes- they just don't understand."

"We haven't fought since before Sari was born. Even then we didn't really yell to argue- just kind of to get the point across."

"I don't really picture Sabretooth as a sit down and talk about it kind of guy."

"Oh, we fought- tooth and claw." The girl scowled. "If we disagreed, we'd go to the training room or outside and fight it out. He never really hurt me, though with him being larger than me he did win a lot- the fights, not necessarily the arguments. Even he can admit when he is wrong.. but I got my wishes granted in other ways."

* * *

_"I said YES!"_

_Zosia ducked to the floor before Victor's big hand swept across the patch of air her head had been occupying. She tucked into a roll, fitting through the space between his legs. Behind him, she hopped up, jumping onto his back, using his belt and shoulder as ladder rungs. She launched herself up into the rafters above him, catching hold of a metal bar to pull herself up. "I SAID NO!" she yelled back down to him, settling on the beam with a smirk._

_The large area Eric had hollowed out for his Brotherhood to 'train' in was poorly equipped with only a few floor mats, three worn and patched punching bags, and a set of uneven bars. The two mated ferals were knee-deep in an argument that was not about to be easily resolved- at least, not with their feral egos. Long ago they had come to an unspoken agreement: If it can't be talked out, it will be fought out. That way it would drain their aggression, and they could better settle the issue at hand without a cloud of anger hanging over them._

_He looked up at her above him, his face as unreadable as ever. "God damnit, Zee, I said _YES_!" After a few seconds, he sprang up into the air, grabbing onto the beam beside her before flipping himself up onto it._

_"Fuck you! I said no!" Before he was settled, Zosia had ran her way down the beam before dropping down onto one of the tattered punching bags. When she turned around, Victor was right behind her. His big, strong arms clamped around her, pinning her own arms to her sides._

_"What the hell has gotten into you, Zee?" he growled, his head ducked down to hiss in her ear. "You usually like that sort of shit!"_

_"I said no, Vic! I don't want to go!" She wriggled once, but knew she'd find no leverage. She gave him a displeased pout before digging her claws into the material of his pants, cutting through and piercing into the flesh of his thighs. She smirked as he released her arms to grab her wrists, holding them together against the small of her back._

* * *

There came a soft knock on the door, followed by Marie opening the door and sticking her head in. "Zoe?"

"Yes?" Zoe gave the girl a small smile to ease her. She didn't want the teen to think she was angry with her.

"Is it.. did you.. um.."

Jubes opened the door the rest of the way, pushing Marie inside with her. "Man, we could hear you yelling from downstairs. What's wrong?"

"I told you, Mallrat, we saw Sari's dad on the television." Marie said to her, scowling at the bold teenager.

"Well come on in." Ororo said with a soft chuckle. The Asian teen settled down on the floor next to the rocking chair. With a roll of her eyes, Marie pushed the door shut behind her, then took her place on the very end of Zoe's bed.

* * *

_"Little bitch." he grumbled, glaring down at her._

_"Oh, are my claws that sharp, my love?" she asked, feigning innocence. With her hands behind her back, she had more freedom of movement, and she pressed her body flush with his. His hands tightened around her wrists, cutting off the circulation. She only smirked, throwing one leg around his and grinding her hips against his thigh. Her movements had done what she wanted it to- his hands had loosened just the tiniest bit. She repeated her actions, purring ever-so softly. "Victor.." she murmured. "Please.. stay here?"_

_"Temptress." he growled._

_"Come on.. stay here with me.. don't go?" she whispered breathily. After a few seconds, his grip was loose enough for her to escape from- and she did, twisting out of his grasp. With a strong swipe of her claws to the side of his knee, she crippled him just long enough to get across the room._

* * *

"What in the world are you two talking about?" asked Jubilee.

"Fighting." answered the wind-rider.

"About the last time Victor and I actually fought- before Sari was born." Zoe smirked.

* * *

_The smaller feral could hear his growl behind her, the low, gutteral noise reverberating down her spine. She hopped up onto the uneven bars, sitting on the lowest one to wait for him. He was mad now, but he was a better lover when he was pissed off. Perhaps she was, too, when she was particularly in a mad passion. Maybe that was why he teased her so much. The larger feral seemed to like it when she was mad, frustrated, and demanding and he was the face of cool confidence._

* * *

"Okay, nope- stop!" Marie covered her ears with her hands. "I know where you're going with this and I don't wanna know!"

"You take your chances coming in here." Zoe laughed with a smirk. "I don't dumb down for you girls. You're old enough to understand, and old enough to learn how to manipulate the men in your life."

Jubilee giggled. "All right! Finally, a class I can get in to!"

* * *

_Victor stalked up to her, his bare feet making loud slapping sounds on the cool rock floor. Within two feet of her, he recaptured her hands, but held them in place against the bar she sat perched on. "Vixen." he growled, leaning down to the skin of her neck, nipping along where it met her shoulder._

* * *

Jubilee gasped, eyes wide. "He bit you?!"

"Honey, we're ferals. Biting isn't always a bad thing." She tucked her hair back behind her ear, and leaned down to where the girl could see. Victor's fangs had made two perfect pocks and a line on her flesh where his teeth had met her skin so long ago. "How do you think we mark one another?"

"I don't know- wedding rings are nice." Marie teased. "Probably a lot less painful, too."

The redhead lifted the ring still attached to her tags. "I have one of those, too. Just not the certificate that goes with it." She smirked again. "But it doesn't really hurt so much when he bites me."

"Doesn't hurt?"

"Totally different sensation."

* * *

_Her purr was real this time, leaning her head to give him better access to her neck. "Beast." she murmured back, sliding her eyes closed as his tongue lapped up the blood he'd spilled._

_He pushed his body against her's, his chest against her chest, evened out by her perch on the bar. "Bitch." he repeated in a soft growl._

_She only smirked again, sinking her fangs deep into his neck. He made a noise that was half purr, half growl, and she smiled against his skin. 'Should I go to make him happy?'_

* * *

"Where did he want you to go?" asked Ororo, shifting a sleeping Sari up onto her shoulder.

"Hunting?" offered Marie.

"No, we went hunting every couple of days- he never had to beg me to go hunting." Zoe said, crossing her legs. "Myst had talked him into taking me into town. Fueled the jet up and everything." She sighed. "Told me later that he'd wanted to go out to eat somewhere nice, just enjoy ourselves without having to think about all this mutant war... without having to worry about anything else. Just us." The feral sighed again. "Almost wish we'd gone, but I wasn't feeling well, and I didn't know how to tell him."

"Not feeling well? I thought you didn't get-" Ororo smiled, a little smug. "You were pregnant."

"Hold the phone- you were pregnant and he was fighting with you?" Marie's eyes widened.

"He didn't know. I hadn't told him yet." shrugged the feral. "She wasn't very far in the making then- I certainly wasn't showing much yet, so he hadn't figured it out on his own."

"He didn't smell it?" The skunk-haired teen asked, laying on her belly across the end of the bed.

"Sari smells like a mix of us." explained Zoe. "Like a little Victor and a little Zosia, stirred up together. The only difference between how I smelled to him pregnant as opposed to not was.. oh, how did he put it?.. I believe he said it smelled sweeter somehow. Kind of like in heat but without being in heat. I don't know how to explain it."

"TMI." Jubilee giggled.

"_Pardun_?"

"The whole heat thing. That's weird!" Jubilee said with a giggle.

"Not so weird as shooting fireworks from one's fingertips."

Jubilee giggled again. "Okay, it's just different then."

"Part of being feral, I suppose. At least, that's what Victor tells me." The happiness seemed to leave the feral then, and she slumped back against the headboard. "But he tells me a lot of things."

Marie met the redhead's eyes. "Don't feel too bad. All couples fight- even Miss Grey and Mr. Summers." She smiled reassuringly. "And even if he doesn't, you're always welcome in my bunk."

"Well, you're not legally married, right?" Jubilee asked. "You can just dump the idiot and then go find you someone who is nice!"

The feral held back a growl. "That.. is not an option." She huffed a sigh. "Victor isn't legally my husband, no, but biologically he is my mate. This isn't just paperwork, honey. Psychologically, pysiologically, I am linked to him."

"Linked?"

"He is mine, I am his. There is no other- no equal out there- that could step into his shoes, and I wouldn't allow anyone to try."

* * *

***beep, beep, beep***

Victor pulled the phone away from his ear, looking at it peripherally as he drove. "What the fuck?" He redialed the number and held it back against his head.

***beep, beep, beep***

"Mother-fucker." The feral hissed, pulling his phone back. "What the hell?!"

"_We're sorry, but your call cannot be completed as dialed. Please hang up and try your call again. Thank you. This is a recording._" ***beep***

"What the hell do you mean 'cannot be completed as dialed'?! She's had that same number for the last two fuckin' years!" Victor growled at the phone, trying again.

"_We're sorry, but you call cannot be comple-_"

"Fuck!" Victor hissed, slamming his phone down, hard, on the truck's dash.

***beep-beep, beep-beep***

"Fuckin' now what?!" he hissed, grabbing the piece of maroon metal back.

'_-PLEASE INSERT SIM-_'

"Oh, you cunt!" cursed the mutant, pulling the back of the phone off to reboot the damned thing. He pulled the battery out, set it on his thigh by his bag of greasy burgers, and fiddled with his SIM card with two sharp claws, using his free elbow to keep the truck straight on the road. "Come out of there, you bitch!" he grumbled. With a little click, the SIM card popped out of the back of the phone, flying off towards the passenger side floorboard. "_MOTHERFUCK_!" In vain he tried to reach out and snatch it from the air, but pulled his elbow with it.

The truck swerved to the right. With a yelp and a curse, he quickly righted it, but in turn, dropped not only the phone and its back, but knocked the battery and his bag of dinner into the floorboard at his feet. He ignored the angry horns honking behind him, pulling over to the shoulder and turning off the truck. The door was slammed open, and the furious mutant stepped out, kicking soiled hamburger onto the side of the road.

* * *

"You two are stuck together like ugly on wood." breathed Rogue. She picked at the edge of the comforter. "In my head.. I can see some of it. From Magneto's memories." Her eyes slid closed as she dropped the fabric to tuck her hair behind her ears. She had pulled her gloves off a few minutes before when Ororo had slipped into the bathroom for a shower. The teen cupped her cheeks in her hands. "He saw the signs, you know. Eric did." she said. "But didn't want to believe them. Even when Mystique came to him."

"Hmm?" Zoe asked from her new perch in the rocking chair.

"The looks you used to give to Victor." offered the teen, opening her eyes. She half smied, opening her mouth to speak. Before the words could come out, there came a soft knocking on the door.

"It's Jean." the telekine said from the hallway. When the feral inside didn't immediately send her away, she cracked open the doorway. "I just wanted to check on you." she said, slipping inside.

"Where's Scooter?" Zoe asked, watching the other redhead.

"Downstairs with the children, finishing the movies up." answered Jean, walking to the bed and taking a seat on the edge near Rogue. "I made him stay downstairs." She crossed her legs, tucking her skirt around her knees.

"Good." Zoe slowed her rocking again. "I don't think I can take much more tonight."

"What?" Jubilee looked up from her trusted copy of Teen Cosmo. "More what?"

"Never you mind, child." said Zoe, standing with her sleeping daughter, gently laying the cub in her bassinet. The baby let out a soft sigh, her fists clenching and unclenching in her sleep.

"You need a hunt?" asked Marie.

"Already been, thanks." Zosia returned to the chair, curling her legs up over one arm. "I need Victor." she said softly, "To calm my nerves..."

"Are you nervous he will be caught?" asked the telekine.

"No- I'm terrified he will." Zoe smoothed her hair back out of her face. "I can't bear to watch him die, yet I wouldn't allow myself to look away... I couldn't even see him before they did it. They would capture me, too, and then who would be there for Sari?"

"They wouldn't necessarily capture you, too." Jubilee said absently, flipping through her magazine. "You aren't legally married." She paused, looked up, "What is it he's done?"

"Don't worry about it, Jubilation." Zoe said, giving the girl a reassuring smile. She looked back at Jean. "I am a mutant- I am a feral. If I go lay claim to him while he is in custody, I may as well hand them my own head."

Behind them, the bathroom door opened. Ororo slipped inside, her hair still damp, dressed in her pale pink satin lounge pants and a soft white tee. She smiled to Jean, taking her seat on the bed next to her. "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing much, _mon moka_." Zoe returned softly.

"Hey Zo'?" Marie looked up from the blanket again. "Why does Victor growl at you? The Eric- the parts from him . . ."

"Depends. What kind of growl?"

"Oh, kind of like a . . ." The girl tried to mimic the sound, sounding like a kitten with a cold. She blushed crimson as the others chuckled.

"Growls can be good things."

"So we've found out." Ororo commented, rolling her eyes.

"What?" Jean smirked, "Good how?"

"Young cubs in the room, telekine." Zoe smirked, shaking her head.

"She's got Victor's growl saved on her phone." Jubilee said, sounding a little guilty. "I saw it the other day."

Zoe gave her a wide-eyed look. "Little sneak!" she accused lightly, her tone more playful than sad or angry. "What were you doing with my phone?"

"Playing that song I like- that German one." answered the girl with a light blush. "It was in your sound files."

"And just what do you . . do . . with this particular sound file, Zee?" Marie asked boldly.

"Probably the same thing you do with Logan's necklace." Jubilee answered for her. She grabbed up an imaginary necklace and held it to her cheek. Letting out a sigh, she made an over-exaggerated lovey-dovey face, then breathed: "Oh, Logan . . . I miss you so . . ." She laughed then, and the feral and two teachers joined her.

"JUBES! I DO NOT!" squealed Marie. Behind her, Sari let out a sharp cry, startled awake. Her arms waved in the air above her, then came back to rest on either side of her face. "Oh! I'm sorry, Zoe!" She grabbed her gloves. "Can-can I get her?"

The feral, perched on the edge of the rocker to stand, paused. "Gloves on." she said after a second, settling back.

"Since when can Rogue hold the baby?" Jubilee asked, her voice a slight whine.

"You can hold her later, Jubilation." Zoe said, watching Marie jerk on her gloves. The girl hopped up and went to the bassinet. "Support her head- she's a wiggle-worm now."

"Okay." Marie said, lifting the five-week old up into her arms. She settled Sari in the crook of her arm, and gently bounced her as she sat back on the bed. "Oh, Sugah . . . I'm sorry I woke ya . . ."

Jubilee crawled to the end of the bed, setting up on her knees to see the crying baby. "Oh boy are you mad, huh?" Though her cries were hushed, she continued to let out her displeasure. "Give her a pacifier."

"She doesn't take a pacifier, Mallrat." Marie returned, trying to soothe the infant while everyone watched. A blush stained her cheeks. "I think she wants her Mommy."

"_Maman_." Zoe corrected gently, standing. She moved to the bed. When Rogue made to hand Sari to her, she shook her head. Instead, she sat beside the girl, hip to hip. "No, you've got her. Put her on your shoulder between us." she instructed softly.

"What're you doing?" Jean asked curiously, watching the interaction.

"I can't stand to hear her cry." Zoe said, watching Rogue gently put Sari on her shoulder. The cub drew her legs up beneath her, rubbing her face against the teen's shoulder as she cried and her mother watched. Putting her hand up underneath the cub's bottom, the feral let out a soft purr, just audible to the others in the room. Almost instantly, the cub hushed to listen.

"Now, if we could just teach Marie how to do that." commented Ororo.

"We could." Zoe said back around her purr. "She absorbs memories, no? She could learn it if I touched her."

"Zoe, I don't-"

_**-*Kiss me- K-k-kiss me- Infect me with your loving- Fill me with your poison- Touch me- T-t-touch me-*-**_

* * *

_Love it? Hate it? Tell me in a review! :)_


	20. Chapter 20

_**Greetings from The Lady** **Mage!**_

Welcome to chapter 20! We're moving right along, eh? LOL Hope you enjoy!

~Lady Mage

Disclaimer: I wouldn't be $500+ in the hole right now if I got paid for this... Don't own it... Yet.

* * *

FERITY: (fehr-ih-tee) - noun - 1. The state of being wild or untamed. 2. Savagery; ferocity.

* * *

_**-*Kiss me- K-k-kiss me- Infect me with your loving- Fill me with your poison- Touch me- T-t-touch me-*-**_

"Where is your phone?" Jubilation asked, peering around the edge of the bed to the nightstand where the ringtone seemed to be coming from.

"Is that him?" asked Jean.

Zoe nodded, standing to walk to the bedside. She reached back in behind the nightstand, fishing out the little blue phone she'd tossed carelessly there earlier. She pushed the button to answer, holding it to her ear. "_Bonjour?_"

"Zee?"

"_Oui. Je suis ici._" (Yes. I'm here.)

"Where's the cub?"

"She's here, too." Zoe scowled. "What do you care?" she half-hissed. "I thought you said she was _my_ cub."

"Wherer the fuck did that come from?"

"_Perler en francais. Je suis trop occupe pour tenir le satophone just pour toi._" The feral mother laid the phone, on speaker, on the side table beside her rocking chair. Turning back to the bed, she retrieved her daughter from Marie's careful arms. "You can hold her later, Marie." she said to the teen, settling back into the rocking chair. (Speak in French. I'm too busy to hold the satophone just for you.)

"_Qui est Marie?_" Victor's voice growled from the table. "_Et pourqoi est-elle tenant le cub?_" (Who is Marie? And why is she holding the cub?)

"Why can't you teach me French, too?" Marie asked quietly, a remark more to herself than to the feral mother.

"_Je lui fais confiance._" Zoe said, her attention directed on Sari in the crook of her arm. "_Elle ne blesserait pas Sari._" (I trust her. She wouldn't hurt Sari.)

"_You better be damn sure, Katze!_"

"I'm in the fucking room with her, _Herz_!"

"Now what's wrong?" Jean asked, leaning over to whisper it in Ororo's ear.

"He'd apparently mad that she let Rogue touch Sari." Ororo informed her.

"_Wait a _fuckin'_ minute!_" Victor's voice boomed from the phone. "_Marie is the fuckin' _Rogue_? You're letting that poison-skinned brat touch _my_ cub?!_"

"_Demi_." Zoe corrected hautily. "_Rappelez-vous?_" (Half. Remember?)

"_Well, if I own _your_ ass, then that means I own both her halves!_"

"You carry my mark, too, Victor!" hissed the smaller feral. "For _everything_ you own of me, I own of you!"

"_Hey, who wears the pants in this operation here?_"

"Who carried your cub?"

"_Who's the one that asked to do so?_"

"Who is the one who fuckin' _agreed_?"

Victor spoke through clenched fangs. "_I don't know what the hell has gotten into you lately-_"

"Sure as fuck hasn't been you."

Jean snorted, then clamped a hand over her mouth to silence herself.

"_HOW MANY FUCKIN PEOPLE DO YOU HAVE IN THERE?!_" Victor yelled.

Against her mother's chest, Sari jerked in surprise at the sudden loud voice. Crumpling her face, she began to cry. Zoe deepened her scowl, feeling her eyes bleed black. She pulled Sari up onto her shoulder, rocking in the chair angrily as she tried to soothe Sari back to sleep. "You ASS!" she hissed towards the phone.

"_Hey, CUBS CRY! I told you this when you came fucking _begging_ for one!_"

"You prefer I take what I want without thought for your feelings- you prefer I act like YOU?" Zoe growled. "I can remember more than once you taking-"

"_Fuck you!_"

"No, Vic, fuck YOU! You're the one who agreed- you didn't say no!"

"_Because for some damn reason I can't deny you a fucking thing, you evil temptress!_"

"_Puisque je vous rends faible. Dites-le._" She grit her teeth. "Heaven forbid anything should rest on your head. (Because I make you weak. Say it.)

"Vous _avez avancé à_ moi." (You came on to me.)

"_J'étais dedans heat!_" (I was in heat!)

"_That's no excuse! You were battin' those big doe-eyes at me for fucking _months_!_"

"Are you saying I planned this shit? For us to be _separated_? For Warts to _die_?"

"_I'm not giving you that much credit!_"

Zoe growled. "Well then how much are you giving me, Vic? _Dites-moi ce que vous pensez est mon défaut!_" (Tell me what you think is my fault!)

Victor growled right back at her, a deep furious rumbling. "_I think it's your fault our cub is about to go **deaf** because you're yelling in her ear! If you hadn't been so **fuckin' hellbent** on havin' her, you would've been on tha **fuckin'** statue with us, **fightin'** at my side! Those fuckin' X-Geeks wouldn't have made it past us! I wouldn't'of had ta swim with the **fuckin'** fishes in fuckin minus **thirty-five degree currents**!_" He nearly panted with the effort of his confession, his growl still rumbling in his chest.

Sobered by his words, Zoe didn't immediatly resond. She pulled her legs up beneath her in the chair. "_Vous me préférez vous accompagnez? Mourez peut-être comme notre frère ? Vous risqueriez ma vie pour avoir raison? Vous donneriez notre dos de fille comme elle ne se produisait jamais?_" She asked quietly, putting her thumbclaw self-consciously between her teeth. "I don't want to watch you die, Victor... but you would so easily toss us to the wolves?" (You prefer I go with you? Maybe die like our brother did? You would risk my life to be right? You would give Sari back like she never happened?)

"_I would not let you die, Zee!_" he hissed back. His tone of voice was much softer, but the anger was still there. "_Stupid, baby cat! Christ in fuckin' Heaven help anyone who would try to hurt you or the cub!_"

"Zee, do you want us to go?" Marie asked softly, eyeing the door.

The redheaded feral shook her head. She kept her blackened eyes on Sari. "No. You don't have to go."

"_Je n'ai aucune idée pourquoi vous m'appelez, criant comme une fichue dame blanche! Avez-vous une idée combien de temps j'avais fait ceci?_" he growled. "_If I ain't been caught yet, I ain't gettin' caught, Katze!_" (I have no idea why you are calling me yelling like a damn banshee! Do you have any idea how long I've been doing this?)

"You don't know that!" Zoe turned bodily towards the phone.

"_ZOSIA!_" he half-barked, cutting her off before she could speak. "_Stoppe se traveiller vers le haut_!" (Quit working yourself up!)

"What else am I supposed to do?!"

"_Je ne sais pas, mais stoppe s'inquieter!_" (I don't know but quit worrying!)

"You may as well ask me to quit breathing while you're at it!"

"_... Okay, fucking quit breathing!_"

"Jerk!"

"_Heifer!_"

"Jackass!"

"_Trollop!_"

"Beast!" The feral mother set her jaw.

"_Bitch!_"

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"_Nag!_"

"Geezer!"

"_I don't have time for this, Zee!_"

Zoe snatched the phone from the desk, taking it off speaker and holding it to her ear. "You called _me_!" She ignored the girls watching her continue to bicker with her mate across the phone over her daughter's head. Sari was beginning to pass out again- tired far past the point of being bothered. "No!... _Fick dich!_... Well, then you can turn around and kiss mine because you own me big time for leaving me here!... No, I am most certainly not kidding!... The fuck?" She pulled the phone away from her. "FINE!" With a dark glare, she clicked the 'End Call' button, effectively hanging up on the blonde feral. "There." she hissed to herself, standing. "Let's see how you like it, you big tomcat!"

Before she could set the phone down again, it rang again. With a sigh, she answered. "Now what?"

"..." **(click)**

The feline almost dropped her jaw, staring down at her phone like it had grown arms. "What the bloody fuck . . ?"

"Did-um . . ." Marie began, fighting back a giggle. "Did he just . . call you back . . . to hang up on you?" Jubilee let out a high-pitched giggle, and quickly covered it with her hand. Behind her, Ororo and Jean were battling smiles.

"That son of a bitch . . ." Zoe snapped the phone shut, tossing it onto the bed with the girls. "I swear to the stars, Vic! _Very_ fucking mature for a 178 year old!"

"178?" Ororo's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

Zee nodded, gently laying Sari in the bassinet. "Yes. _Mein Herz_ is an _old_ Tomcat." She covered her cub's little legs with a receiving blanket, and then lovingly ran her knuckles down the curve of Sari's cheek.

"Good grief, Zoe," said Jean. "The man just called you a nag, and you're calling him your heart?" She crossed her arms.

"_Du sprichst Deutsches_, Jean?" Zoe asked, mildly surprised. (You speak German?)

"_Ein wenig._" Jean answered. "Not much- but I know what _Herz_ means, and _mein_ is possessive." (A little.)

"_Ja_. Victor is _mein Herz_." murmured the feral, walking back to the chair. She settled back down in it, curling up sideways to rock. "I didn't say he wasn't an asshole." She let out a tired sigh, tucked her hair back from her face. "A really big, stubborn, malicious, mean, arrogant, self-obliging, son of a bitch asshole." She smirked. "But, damn, is he good in bed."

"Oh, Zee- there you go with that TMI stuff again!" Jubilee covered her ears as they flushed red. "Come on! Young cubs, remember?"

"A little inappropriate in the presence of students." Jean chided softly, but smirked none-the-less. Ororo shook her head in amusement as she leaned back against the headboard.

"Can't help it- it almost makes it worth the trouble he gives me. . . But, my apologies." mumbled the feral. Her arms crossed, she blinked the black away from her eyes, popping her jaw as her fangs receded back into her gums.

"Zee, do you just want to go to bed so you don't have to think about it?" Ororo asked.

"I'm not tired."

"Want to go down to the pool for a late swim?" Marie asked, her face brightening for a moment. The pool was one area that she didn't have to worry about touching anyone. She stayed in her lane to do her laps, and if you crossed into her lane, it was your funeral- so to speak.

_-There was water- cold as ice- all around her- in her nose, in her mouth, in her lungs- suffocating her without letting her die, burning her without melting her skin, the cold freezing up her damaged muscles so that she couldn't gather enough strength to move-_

"No!" Zoe sat up straight, eyes wide and black again. Jean jumped with her movement, as did Jubilee at the feral's feet.

"What was that?" Jean asked, her hands shooting up to her temples.

"What was what?" Zoe hissed, her black, feline eyes glaring at the telekine.

"Are you two okay?" Jubilee and Marie said in unison.

"The water." Jean asked, panting out her breath. "You were projecting- hard."

"Jean, you're bleeding." Ororo leaned over, pulling a baby-wipe from the box beside the bed. She dabbed at the line of blood coming from the telekine's nose until Jean took it from her to finish the job. "That must have hurt."

* * *

The parking lot of the little apartment building said it all- this place was cheap, ugly, and dirty. More likely than not, only cheap, ugly, dirty people lived here. Not that he was too sweet about her, but what the fuck was Mystique doing here? He pulled the truck up in front of the seventh door down, and shut off the ignition before waiting on Myst to come out.

"Damnit, Vic, you're late!" Mystique hissed, holding the door to the little apartment open for him. "I said seven- not ten thirty!"

"Yeah, yeah." He climbed out of the truck, tucking his phone in his back pocket. "Now, what the hell is this all about?"

* * *

She couldn't sit still; she couldn't stand to pace. It was annoying to lay down; it was painful to try. She went from the bed to the carpet, to the chair, to the desk, to the window, and back again. Over and over. Ororo watched her, sometimes laying down, sometimes sitting in the rocking chair by the bassinet, but remaining quiet to let the feral work whatever was needed out of her system. Zosia felt bad, guilty, knowing that she was interrupting her adopted sister's sleep, but she couldn't settle herself.

It was torture waiting to crash- knowing that she was awake on adrenaline alone. Her scent kept changing as she rolled back and forth between anger, fear, apathy, and the beginnings of a feral bloodlust. One second she felt like crying, the next it was all she could do not to jump out the window again- to go tear another something to shreds. Her head ached with the chemical warfare going on within it, and it only muddled the emotions together, making it harder for her to analyze.

"Zee?"

She cut off the surprised growl in her throat, crossing her arms under her bust as she glanced at Ororo in the chair beside Sari. "Hmm?"

"Wearing a hole in the rug is not going to keep him any safer." Ororo said softly, her voice showing her growing fatigue. "He's a big boy. He can take care of himself without you having to kill yourself with worry."

Zosia sighed softly. "I know, _mon moka_." murmured the feral. "I can't help it."

"Are you tired at all?"

"_Un peu_... I'm so pissed off that I'm calm. If I lay down now, the calm will leave." (A little.)

"Give it a try." Ororo said, her voice warm and motherly. "Come on. Lay down. I'll pet your hair like a kitten."

The feral jerked to a pause. "Wait- what?" She shook her head. "That came with a strange mental image."

Ororo couldn't help but smirk. "Oh?"

"Um... no thanks, love." Both women shared a small chuckle.

"Still mad?"

"Very." Zoe nodded. "Very, very mad."

* * *

The sat at a wobbly, scarred kitchen table, looking over the papers Mystique had brought. Most of the papers were about their attack at the statue. Some were about Erik's trial and recent sentencing. She had also collected a little stack about Warts- how it said he died and what had happened to his body afterwards. The shapeshifter had kept certain news clippings about all of it, but compared to the files she'd stolen, they told two very different stories.

"Ya think they really buried him?" Victor asked, looking at a mock-up obituary in the spread of paper on the tabletop.

Mystique shook her head, pulling open the grungy, old fridge. She pulled out two bottles of water, tossing one at his head. He caught it without looking at it, setting it on the table in front of him. "To be honest, no." said Myst, reclaiming her chair. "The humans probably said that to sound like they give a shit, but I wouldn't doubt they shipped his body to some lab somewhere- I just haven't found that paper trail yet." She set her water down on the side of the table, drumming her fingers on it. "Don't want to think much on it, really."

He shook his head in agreement, turning the clipping over and picking up a new page. "So, this is where they've got ol' bucket-head locked up, eh?"

"They built it just for him. It's made entirely out of plastic, and it's suspended inside of a huge, ceramic room. They must be pumping some kind of sense-dulling agent into him somehow- either through the air or in his food and drink." she replied, showing him the schematic she had found. "He's hanging not two hundred feet from a wall of computers that control the entire room, separated by a wall of glass- with more than enough copper wire to aid his escape- yet he's been there for a month and hasn't been able to do anything."

"Not surprised. Who came up with this thing?"

"A man by the name of William Stryker."

"_Stryker_?" Victor jerked, then growled.

"You know him?"

"Worked with him. Horrible fuckin' human." He didn't elaborate. "So what's your plan then? We can't just-"

**-*Ride- Dirty, sweet, and filthy- Ride- Beat your hands on me- Ride- Dirty, sweet, and filthy- Ride-*-**

"Shit." Victor pulled out his phone. "I'll take this outside. She doesn't need to know about this- or about our meeting. The less she knows, they safer she and Sari are."

Myst only nodded, watching the feral stand up and walk out the front door.

* * *

He answered her on the seventh ring. "_Yeah?_"

"_Merci tellement tres foutu beaucoup d'accrocher vers le haut sur moi plus tot._" (Thank you so very fucking much for hanging up on me earlier.)

"_God damnit, Zee! What the fuck?_"

The feral paced across the bedroom. "_Je baisais me suis inquiété de toi! Vous étiez sur les nouvelles! Ils savent que vous êtes dans NewYork!_" she hissed quietly, knotting her free hand in her hair in frustration. (I was fucking worried about you! You were on the news! They know you're in New York!)

"_Ainsi? Wui donne une bause sanglante? Si vous bausant pour obtenie outre du telephone, je pourrais obtenir ce demier travail fait et obtenir l'enfer hors de New York!_" (So? Who gives a bloody fuck? If you'd fucking get off the phone, I could get this last job done and get the hell out of New York!)

Zoe glanced to where Ororo was curled up asleep with Sari on the bed, reigning in her mix of emotions to be as quiet as possible. "Look, I'm just _scared_ for you. I want to know you're okay, and I can't for sure because I'm so far away from you." she said, her voice defeated, tired. "I don't want to fight- I don't want to yell. I just want you safe."

He snorted. "_I'm as safe as I ever was. I've been doin' shit like this since before the Civil-fuckin-War!_" he said, his voice still gruff. "_I know what I'm doin here. If I didn't, I'd be rotting in a prison in Virginia for the past hundred plus years._"

"I miss you."

"_I know you do._"

"Why here, Vic? Why must I stay here? Why not one of your other-"

"_That is the safest place for you and the cub. Right now, any of my holes are unsecured deathtraps. One turn of the leaf and the cops will start raiding them. If you were there when they came, then what? The only people- and I _hate_ to say this- the _only_ people that I know will not hurt you or Sari are the fuckin X-Men. You're going to have to put on your big-girl pants and tough this one out! Quit buggin' me!_" He'd hung up then, and when she tried to call him back, it wen to voicemail. He'd turned his phone off.

She sat in the rocking chair, her hand clenched around the trinkets and tags around her neck. Pulling the necklace over her head, she pulled her wedding band from it, turning the white gold and diamond band over in her fingers. After a few contemplative moments, she slipped the ring into place on her left hand. It was as close as she could get to him or to her old life.

* * *

In the month that she'd known Zosia Creed, Ororo had never seen her so sad. She'd seen her in a good mood, she'd seen her in a silly, playful mood- she'd seen her so angry she'd had to kill. But never sad. Not like this, at least.

It was Saturday, nearing noon, and all the girls were downstairs in the pool area for their required P.E. course for the week. The long, underground room held an olympic-sized swimming pool with a giant, blue '_X_' painted in it's center. To the right were the girls' locker rooms and a small sauna. To the left were the boys' locker rooms and a row of deck chairs and tables. The deep end of the pool held the most activity as teenage girls all swam, dove, and splashed about. Jean and Ororo sat on the edge of the deep end, both in dark blue one-piece bathing suits with white _X_'s on the hips. The two teachers kept watch over their students, enjoying the atmosphere.

Zoe sat alone with Sari at the far end of the pool, perched on the cement steps. She was dressed in a pale blue bikini halter top and a pair of skimpy white short-shorts over her blue bikini bottoms. Sari was held protectively in her lap, naked as the day she was born. Sari kicked her little feet, shook her fists, and every now and then Zoe worked up a smile for her. Mostly Zoe just stared down into the water, or at the little blue phone beside her on the dry concrete.

There had been little sleep for either the feral or the weather witch that morning. Zoe had been back and forth from the bed to pacing and back. When she had laid down, she seemed needier than usual, cuddling up to Ororo's back until she was almost atop her. Sari had been in the bed all night, and Zoe had fed her there instead of the rocking chair. When she had managed sleep, the feral had been wracked with nightmare after nightmare.

_"I'm keeping you awake... you should go back to your own room..." The feral had whispered against her shoulder blade._

But she hadn't left. She didn't want to leave the poor feral to her loneliness, so she'd let Zoe cling behind her, and had helped her with Sari until the wee hours of the morning when they had finally all managed some sleep.

'_-She's really depressed.-_' Jean's voice was soft behind Ororo's eyes, bringing the brown-skinned woman back to reality. '_-I've never seen her this way, either.-_'

"Snoop." Ororo managed a small smile, hiding a yawn behind her hand.

"You were projecting pretty hard." returned the telekine. "Sorry."

Ororo just waved a hand at her. "It's okay. The poor thing was up until four this morning."

"Four?" Jean looked concerned. "Wow."

"Yeah, wow." Ororo laid back on the concrete beside the pool, resting her head on a folded towel. Jean looked down at her, keeping her legs in the warmed water. "I am so dead on my feet today. I'm useless." Jean chuckled.

"Are you alright, Miss Munroe?" Kitty asked, padding over to where the two teachers sat. She squatted down next to Ororo, giving her a smile. "You look tired. Did the baby keep you up?"

"No- her mother did." Jean answered for her.

"Is something up?" asked Kitty. "Some of the other students said she like broke up with her boyfriend or whatever. We could hear some of the commotion from downstairs last night. Rogue and Jubilee aren't saying anything." She glanced over to the teens.

The two girls were uncharacteristically sullen, sitting off on their own, out of the pool. Jubilee picked at the white _X_ on her swimsuit, talking quietly with Marie. Marie, wearing tight, stretchy blue biking pants and shirt, water-shoes, and plastic gloves under her blue swimsuit, watched the feral mother while she listened to Jubilee talk.

"It's not your concern." Jean said to Kitty in a gentle voice. "Don't worry about it."

"Well, I can't help it." said Kitty, looking to the sullen feral. "I mean, yeah, Rogue and Jubes kinda spazzed on us when Zoe started hanging around with them, but still... She looks so upset- like someone just ran over her new puppy or something."

"She'll be fine." Ororo said, sitting back up. "Don't go bothering her about it- she's upset enough already."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Kitty smiled.

* * *

Zosia looked up as the group of girls surrounded her. She stifled a growl, tightening her arms around Sari. Kitty, Wanda, Theresa, Kelley, Money, and Paige had snuck up on her because she hadn't been paying attention. She was not happy about it. This particular clique of girls were not her favorite company, and neither was she their's.

"Why don't you come swim with us, Zosia?" Paige asked, her voice friendly.

"Yeah, let Ororo and Jean take the baby." said Monet. "She should have a nanny anyway."

"We're not all rich, M." said Wanda, rolling her eyes at the blonde girl.

"Well, she is." said Monet, gesturing to the feral. "That's a $300 bikini she's wearing. I'd know that anywhere. She could afford a nanny."

"I will take care of my own cub." Zoe said, her tone neutral.

"Well, that's fine." said Kitty, walking up to the feral and sitting on the concrete a few feet from her. "But why don't you let Storm hold her while you swim with us. It'd be fun!"

"Yeah," said Kelley, running her hand through her short purple hair. "Come on- you should cheer up!"

"No, thank you."

Theresa frowned. "Why not? How come you never try to hang out with anyone but Miss Munroe?"

Monet rolled her eyes. "Seriously, the whole unwed teen mother angst is getting a little stale. _Obviously_ you know how to have a good time, so why not toss the tot to someone else, and come have a little fun?"

"That was mean, M!" Kelley said, poking the other girl in the arm. "Do you _have_ to be so snotty _all _the time?"

"You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar, you know." said Paige, giving Monet a smack to the back of the head.

"It's funny how you young things can see one thing and interpret it as something entirely different." said Zoe, not bothering to look at the girls. Instead, she kept her attention on Sari in her lap. "You assume that because I am here with my daughter that I am an unwed teen? Or that because I have a daughter, that I have slept around with a plethora of men?"

"Yes." Monet shrugged. Paige gave her another slap. "Ow! Hey!" Kelley and Theresa copied Paige's motion. "You guys!"

Zosia cracked a smirking smile. "And we wonder why your generation is doomed."

"Well what's the deal then?" Kitty asked. "You haven't told anyone anything about where you come from."

"I don't need to tell anyone where I come from." returned the feral. "My daughter, myself, my husband- there's nothing I care to tell anyone. It isn't important."

"Husband?" Monet raised an eyebrow. "Where's your ring, then? I mean, if you really are married, you'd have a ring, right?"'

With a roll of her eyes, Zoe lifted her left hand, showing them the band she'd put there. "Is there something the lot of you wanted? I'm no babysitter- I've my own cub to deal with."

Kitty frowned. "Well, we just wanted to try to cheer you up- to be nice." she said, "You know, cause boys can be such jerks."

Zoe held in a snort, keeping up the neutral expression. "Your friend's done a bang-up job so far." she returned, pulling Sari to stand in her lap. The six week old locked her knees, shaking her arms as she looked out at the new view presented to her.

"So, how far along were you when you got married?" asked Monet. Paige smacked her again. "Ow! What?!"

"I was married for a year and a half before I got pregnant, thank you."

"So you've been married two years already?" Paige ticked numbers off her fingers. "So, how old were you? Fifteen?"

Thinking quickly, Zoe shook her head. "Eighteen."

"Eighteen?" Monet asked. "You mean you're twenty? You look younger than me, and I'm seventeen!"

"Good genes, I guess." Zoe shrugged. '_I wonder how old I really am._'

"...What's it like?" Kitty asked, intrigued. She took a seat on the cement step near Zoe's feet.

"What do you mean?"

"Like.. having to share everything with someone else.. your time- you stuff-"

"Your bed?" Kelley finished.

"It takes some getting used to, I suppose." she said quietly, shrugging. "Once our roles were set, we co-habitated fairly well."

"What is.. um.. what's _sex_ like?" Kitty blushed again.

"You're much too young, cub." Zoe smirked. "Come and ask again when you're old enough. You have years before you have to worry about that sort of thing."

"So you have to be eighteen to understand?" asked Monet, hand on hip. "It's not that big of a deal, now, is it?"

"One day, maybe, if you learn when to button your lips, you'll understand." returned the feral.

In her mother's arms, Sari whimpered, giving warning to the cry to come. When she was only bounced once, she whimpered again. It was almost lunchtime. Zoe pulled the baby up onto her shoulder, and grabbed the clean diaper from beneath the phone. "Oh, Sari.." she murmured, quickly diapering her. The baby whimpered again.

"Hungry, little cub?" Rogue asked the baby, coming and settling down beside Zee. "It's almost time for the lunch bell; ready to go dry off and change?"

"We were in the middle of a conversation." Paige said, crossing her arms.

"About what, Hayseed?" Jubilee asked Paige, settling between Zoe and the other girl. "How to milk cows?.. Or people?" She poked Zoe's shoulder with a laugh. "I bet Scott would really appreciate that."

"Scott can bite my ass." Zoe hissed. "Prick." Jubilee laughed. "I'm in no mood to remain down here. Sari is hungry, and my nose is beginning to burn from all the chlorine."

"You sure it isn't M?" Marie asked with a smirk, shaking Sari's little fist. The cub cooed at her.

"You wretched little-" Monet cut herself off, ducking as Paige raised a hand to smack her again. "Damn it, Paige!"

"Monet! Language!" Jean called across the pool.

"Paige hit me!" the girl yelled back. "I'm going to say something!"

"Are you five?" Paige hissed to Monet. "Tattle-tell!"

"Fifteen minutes until lunchtime, girls." Storm stood up, then held her hand down to help Jean stand. "Everyone out of the pool and into the locker room."

Zoe, Marie, and Jubilee had the good sense to get out of the way as a flood of wet girls suddenly rushed out of the pool through the steps they had been sitting upon. The majority of the girls headed straight to the lockers and the showers within; the two teachers, plus the feral mother and her teenage friends, stayed behind. Zosia tucked her phone into her shorts pocket, and turned towards the doorways to the hall.

"Where are you going?" Jean asked, walking with Ororo to their side of the pool.

"To change." answered Zee. "In the locker rooms by the medlab."

"Why not in here? We're all girls." Jubilee said with a shrug.

"Doesn't mean I feel a deep need to see the lot of you naked."

'_-Zosia, when you have changed, I would like to see you in my office.-_'

The feral mother audibly growled, turning her face to glare at the ceiling. "Out of my head, telepath!"

"What?" Jean scowled.

"Charles- not you." hissed Zosia. "I don't care if he is in a wheelchair or not, he can learn to quit calling me telepathically if I have to kill him to teach him!"

'_-My apologies, Zosia. It is easier to communicate this way.-_'

"Do it the hard way, Charles." said the feral, storming out of the room and down the hallway. Dry but for her legs, she decided to forgo the change of clothes, and stomped into the elevator. When she hit the first floor, she walked down the hall and through the rec room in her bikini and shorts, ignoring the sudden silence from the teenage boys inside. She glared at Bobby and John as she passed by them on the way to the library and Charles's office beside it.

Opening the door, she slipped inside, pulling it shut behind her. Charles sat at his desk, a stack of physics tests in his hands. Scott was sitting, perched on the edge of the small leather couch. He watched her enter and approach the desk.

Charles gave the feral a soft smile, settling the tests in a drawer to be dealt with later. "I know you don't like to be spoken to telepathically, Zoe." He said. "You must understand, though, that it is a method that comes quite naturally to me."

"Well, walking around naked and stalking deer come naturally to me but you don't see me doing it every ten minutes." said the feral with a smirking smile, settling Sari into the crook of her arm.

"You're coming pretty close in that get-up." said Scott neutrally.

"I was just in the pool." Zoe was in no mood to argue, so her tone was even and calm. "I came up here as soon as I was summoned." Mustering all the good will in her little black soul, she sighed. "Hey.. about last night, Scoot... Sorry for the noise. And the whole 'put you in the morgue' thing."

"Pardon?" Scott asked, a little stunned.

"Yeah, you're never gonna get another sorry out of me again." The younger man half-snorted, amused. Zoe turned back to Charles. "With that out of the way, what was it you needed to see me for?"

"After lunch, I would like you to go and get ready to leave the mansion for the afternoon." answered Charles.

She scowled, "For the afternoon? Where am I going?"

"We are going on a little trip."

"We?"

"Yourself, Sari, Scott, and I."

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise." he answered. "You've moped around all morning- and most of the night. I think this will cheer you up." When she only scowled again, he smiled. "Trust me, Zoe. We will leave after lunch."

* * *

She sat in the tub of hot water, shivering.

She was so grateful for Ororo. The woman had been a god-send, taking Sari for a little while so that Zoe could try to relax and take a bath. Upstairs, she had bathed her cub, and given her a feed before rocking her to sleep. Ororo had come to ask if she was hungry for lunch, but she'd shaken her head. A bath would calm her, and rid her body of the chlorine smell, so the wind-rider had offered to take the cub in her bassinet downstairs with her. The feral had told Ro that she was going somewhere with Charles and Scott, so her surrogate sister had not stayed long.

Feelings were not terribly foreign to her, but this helplessness, confusion, depression, was. She had argued with him before- she had crashed in Myst's room, Warts' room- even Eric's room- because of their fighting. There had even been three times when she had thrown him out to sleep on the couch. Fighting was not new. They had fought, they had made-up, and then fought again the next night. It was simply their nature to be aggressive.

But last night had been different. His words had cut her, and left big, bleeding gashes across her heart. She wanted to sob so hard that she shook the whole mansion down, and scream loud enough to wake the dead. Did he really not want their cub? Did he really blame her for all his troubles?

She'd brought her phone into the bathroom with her, and perched it on the edge of the tub on a rag, though she wasn't sure why. Victor had left his off all night- apparently, he didn't care to speak to her. Had she chased him away? Would he ever come back for her now?

With a calming breath, she lifted her phone and clicked her claws across the screen. Did he hate her now? She quickly punched in a number, and pushed send, then calmed away her crying while she listened to it ring.

After a handful of rings, Mystique's voice came over the phone. "_Hello?_"

"Myst..." Zoe held back a whimper. "Myst, I think I've lost him."

"_You what?_"

"I think I've lost him. Victor."

"_Have you lost your mind?_"

"No, but I think I've lost my mate."

Senator Kelley's voice suddenly came over the phone, yelling out. "_Not now_! This is an _important_ call, Gable!" There was a pause, and the soft, almost inaudible response of some human somewhere. Finally, Mystique's voice came back. "_Sorry, Soeur. . . Now, tell me what happened. Why do you think you've lost ol' Snaggletooth?_"

"We had a big argument last night." Zoe answered, controlling her voice, keeping the emotions back as much as she could. "On the phone. And he yelled at me."

"_Pishaw_,_ Zee._" Mystique murmured. "_You had a fight. Big deal. The two of you have knock-down, drag-out, paint the walls red fights all the time! I've enjoyed stitching your tomcat up afterwards on more than one occasion._"

"Yeah, but he was really mad at me! He was on the news- did you see? And he-"

"_Zee, give me something other than that._" Myst sounded slightly annoyed. "_Otherwise, I'm going to go impersonate a senator, plan a jail break, and try to find out what is going on with this new mutant project that fuck-up over in defense is all on about._"

She couldn't help it- a choked sob escaped her. "No, Myst, please wait!"

"_...Zee?_" The shapeshifter's voice was concerned.

"Myst, we... I saw him last night on the news," She gave up trying to mask her tone, letting her sister hear her crying, hear her fear. "I c-called him, and told him to be more careful! I thought he was going to be caught!"

"_Yeah- they spotted him up in Clinton County._"

"I was crying on the phone to him, Myst! I was scared for him!" She pulled her knees up to her chest in the bathtub, resting her forehead on them while she spoke.

"_What did you say to him, soeur?_"

"That I was scared for him! If he got caught, what would he do? What would we do? What would Sari do?"

"_And what did he say?_"

"To not worry about it."

Myst sighed. "_The idiot... Well, this definitely isn't his first rodeo. What did you say?_"

"That I couldn't not worry about it! He's my mate, Mystique! I love him! Sari and I need him. How could he forget about that so easily, Mystique?" She choked on another sob, coughing once before letting out another jerking whimper. "He said it like it was my fault- everything was my fault."

"_That son of a bitch._" growled the shapeshifter.

"He told me that it was my fault I was here at this school- that it was because I wanted to have a cub... like Sari was the mistake..." She sobbed again, "That if I hadn't begged him to have her, I could have fought with you at the statue... and he wouldn't have gotten hurt- you wouldn't have gotten hurt... that Warts would not have died!"

"_Are you serious? Oh, I'm going to kill that son of a bitch..._"

"He didn't care."

"_You know, I told you about this before you started fucking him behind my back._" Mystique said with another sigh.

"I wasn't fucking him behind your back- you were with _Erik_!"

"_That's not what I meant, Zosia Panthera Creed, and you know it._"

"I went into heat, not-"

"_Yes, but you loved him before that! You told me all about it!_"

".. Yes, I know."

"_And I warned you, Zosia! I told you that he was a fucking asshole- he just wanted to fuck you over, then leave you for dead!_"

"I know you did."

"_Well, you let him fuck you-_"

"Myst!" Zee wiped her eyes. "He yelled at me for something that wasn't my fault. He's blaming me for everything now."

"_How is it your fault? You didn't know anything about the Statue or the Machine._"

"Exactly. I didn't know anything." Zoe balled her hand into a fist under the water. "It can't be my fault! How can he blame me? And Sari! She's just a baby! It's not her fault, either!"

"_Of course not, Zoe._" Mystique said, her voice angry. "_How fucking stupid is that tomcat?_"

"He can pick at me all he wants, but if he wants to start picking on MY daughter, he's got a surprise coming!" Zoe splashed the water, bringing her arm up to grab a handful of her wet hair. "He might can take care of himself, but she's just a cub. He promised me when she was born that he was going to take care of us, Myst!"

"_He _lied_ to you._"

"Now I don't know if he's ever coming back."

"_Do you want him to?_"

"... I don't know!" She wanted to scream. It was unclear whether or not she should be angry or sad. Then, like a flash, her emotions calmed. "Myst?"

"_Yeah? I'm here._"

"Is there a place... where I can hide from him?"

"_Hide from him?_"

"Where he couldn't find us- Sari or I."

"_Like... you mean like to _leave_ him?_"

"He left me, Myst. He left me _here_."

"_Are you really going to leave him?_"

"...I don't know..."

"_Have you thought this through, Zee? Do you know what you're doing?_"

"What do you mean?"

"_Zoe, honey, lieb, you aren't thinking. He won't let you leave _him_._"

Zoe scowled. "Like hell, Myst!"

"_No, _listen_ to me!_" Mystique's voice was sharp and serious. "_Is this seriously something you want to do? Could you live with it?_"

"...God, Mystique, I don't know! I don't know what to do!"

"_If you leave him, he's going to hunt you down- you and Sari. He won't stop for anything, Zee- you'll be running, looking over your shoulder, for the rest of your lives._" She paused, letting the words sink in. "_Is that what you want for Sari? To constantly run? To be afraid that everyone is a spy for her father- that he will take her away from you when he finds you?_"

"T-take her away?"

"_Yes, take her away! God-damn-it, Zee! You are _his_. Sari is _his_. He may let you go- he may even let you live- but he would _take_ Sari. He won't let you get away with stealing his cub._"

The dam broke again, and she shivered in the cooling bathwater as she sobbed. "I don't know what to do, Myst! I don't have anything- anywhere to go! I don't know... help me- tell me what to do, _Souer_."

"_I can't tell you what to do, Zee. It's not my life. It's your life._" the shapeshifter said, her voice a little softer. "_Look... Do you really love him?_"

"Yes. Completely."

"_Do you think he loves you?_"

"Up until last night."

"_Do you really want to leave him? Can you stand to never see him again if you love him?_"

"...No."

"_Then you have to make things right._"

"How?"

"_I'm not sure. Let me try to talk to him- maybe I can figure out what's wrong._"

"He's turned his phone off."

"_... I know. I know where he's at. Don't worry about it anymore, Zee. I'll beat some sense into him for you._"

"A-allright, Myst."

"_Oh, and Zee?_"

"Yes?"

"_If it doesn't work... and you do leave him..._"

"Yeah?"

"_Hurt him real good, first._"

* * *

She had taken a long bath, sitting there until the water had grown cold, thinking over her conversation with Mystique. Surely this could be worked out between them. Surely it was only feral temper creating this discord. It wasn't the first time their wires had been crossed, but would it be the last? He loved her, didn't he? Didn't he love Sari? He was her Daddy; he was supposed to love her and protect her and be there for her.

'_Goddess, Victor, hurt me all you want, but don't do anything to our cub. Whatever you do to me, don't hurt her..._'

While the tub drained, she dried her body, and pulled her hair up into a messy bun, ignoring the many strands that never stayed up. Zee picked out a fitted, red t-shirt and a pair of dark bluejeans from her closet, and quickly pulled them on along with a pair of black sneakers. Dressed, she stuffed a handful of diapers, a baby blanket, and a clean onesie into the little black bag she used as a diaperbag. When she had her sling from its place on the bedpost, she started to the door. There, she paused, and turned to the desk.

The phone sat next to her nightshirt on the top of the desk, turned on, available. She started to turn to retrieve it- to tuck it away in the diaper bag- but hesitated again.

'_He doesn't want to talk to you... or else he would have called by now... Leave it. Leave it so you don't have to look at it- think about it._'

With a wince at her own thoughts, she turned on her heel, and stalked downstairs.

Sari was fast asleep in her in her basket at Ororo's feet, surrounded by a crowd of teenage girls cooing over how darling she was. The feral mother almost smiled at the attention her daughter gathered as she stalked up to the back of the couch.

Jean and Ororo were looking at the TV Guide, scanning it for something worth watching. Rogue, Jubilee, Kitty, and Kelley were sitting on the floor in front of the couch, beside Sari's basket, looking at a handful of teen magazines. Zoe put her hands on the back of the couch, reading over Ororo's head until a piece of her hair loosened and fell down onto Ororo's shoulder.

The wind-rider glanced at her shoulder, feeling the movement, then did a double take at the strand of vibrant red against her snow white hair. She looked up behind her with an amused smile. "You startled me." she said, smiling. "Feeling better?"

The chuckle died, but the feral nodded anyway. "_Une goutte_." (A little.)

"The Professor sent Scott looking for you." Jean said, looking up.

"I will find them." said Zoe, rounding the couch. "I've come for my cub." She gently lifted Sari from the basket without waking her, and tucked her gently into the sling. A tiny tweak of fabric, and the cub was secure and warm, and hidden from view.

"There you are." The gaggle of girls looked up as Charles and Scott entered the room. "Are you ready to go?" the professor asked pleasantly.

"Yes." Zoe nodded, following the two men back into the long hallway. "Where, may I ask, are we going, _Professeur_?"

"To visit your _Vater_." answered Charles.

Zoe came to an abrupt halt. Scott and Charles turned back to her. She stared at Charles with wide eyes. "_Mein Leher? Mein Vater?_" Zoe asked, surprised. "You know where he is?"

"Yes, I do." said the elder with a pleased smile. "Shall we?"

The feral only nodded, quickly following behind the two. They said nothing as they entered the garage, or strapped Sari in her carseat, or even when they were going down the road. Zoe was afraid to say anything that might make Charles change his mind about allowing her to go with him. She hadn't seen Erik in weeks; she absolutely ached to see him.

The car ride was uneventful. So lost in her thoughts, she hardly paid attention to where they were going. Her eyes were on Sari, watching the cub sleep, picking out the tiny differences between her face and her daughter's. She had her Papa's chin, her Papa's striking brown eyes, her Papa's ears... his stubborn attitude- especially when it was time to eat.

"Here we are." Charles announced from his seat in the front beside Scott. The X-Team's leader parked the Rolls Royce in front of a plain red brick building, and cut the ignition. "Are you ready to go in, Zoe?"

"Yes." answered the feral, unbuckling the sleeping cub.

"Leave her in the carrier." Scott said, opening the car door. "We'll carry it in, too." He handed her a pair of white lace lady's gloves. "Here, put these on so they don't see your nails." When she took them, he held out another pair of tiny baby mittens. "And Sari's."

Without questioning him, she gently put the little white mittens over Sari's tiny hands, then slipped the lace gloves onto her own hands. She pulled the infant carrier out of the car while Scott readied the professor's wheelchair. Once he was seated comfortably, the professor led them into the building. Directly inside the single glass door was a reception room with a row of three empty chairs and one little receptionist's desk in front of a large wooden door. After Charles spoke to the young woman sitting there, they were allowed to enter the door and walk down a long and dimly lit hallway. At the end of the hall was a small white room with three more chairs and three uniformed police guards waiting.

"Good afternoon." Charles greeted them, rolling up to the first of the guards. "And how are you today?"

"Fine, thank you, sir." answered the guard. "They're bringing your chair in right now."

"Professor?" Zoe murmured, holding Sari's carrier close to her.

"These guards are going to check up over before we can go to the observation deck." Scott said to her, giving her one of his concerned expressions. He could tell she was suddenly nervous. "Do you want me to carry the baby carrier?"

After a moment's hesitation, the feral nodded, holding it out to him. When he took it into the crook of his arm, she stepped up close beside him. She stood with her shoulder touching his, as close to Sari as she could get. She was terribly uncomfortable, watching the guards as they watched her. They stood in a line, their posture and stance so familiar to her... She'd seen similar visions in her nightmares- right down to the line of patches along their breast pockets and the black cadet berets. Rows of guards- just like these three- wearing their military flack and black combat boots, cheering, jeering, leering down at her as she fought for her life in the ring. As she was locked in the cold regen tank.

In her quiet panic, she did something she thought she'd never do: she turned to the one X-Men who criticised her, vexed her, most, and leaned against him. She pressed herself against his side, and it made her feel better- almost as if it were Warts or Mystique she were standing beside. The fearless leader looked over at her, questioning, but didn't move to stop her, nor did he shove her off. If something bad were to happen- and in this place, for some reason she felt possible- she was confident that he would at least try to keep the cub safe. If Sari was protected, she could live with it, and considering how much Jean seemed to drool over the cub, Scott probably didn't want his name on her death.

The door across the room opened, and two guards- a male and female- entered, pushing a fully plastic wheelchair in front of them. Zosia held onto the arm of Scott's jacket with one hand and Sari's carrier with the other. The female guard smiled at her, patting a little stack of white scrubs laid over her arm.

"I have to help the professor into the chair." Scott said gently, ignoring Zoe's soft jump. He gave her as reassuring an expression as he could muster, gesturing to the chairs. "Have a seat with the baby for a second." He set the carrier down in one, and she obediently moved to sit beside her sleeping cub, quickly lifting the baby out of the carrier to cradle her in her arms.

The feral watched Scott and the other guard help Charles into the new plastic chair, watching peripherally as the three original guards whispered among themselves.

_-The ring was cold as death itself. They stood around the metal cage, laughing, pointing, yelling, whispering to each other about her. The sounds all melded into one rushing roar in her ears as he stepped over her. His stature blocked the single light hanging over them, creating a halo effect around his blonde head. He was going to kill her- she wasn't worth keeping around anymore. Finally, she'd met her match. He was growling at her now, the sound resonating down her head and to her toes. She hurt- everywhere, she hurt- but she pulled enough strength up to move her head, and felt her hair fall away from her neck._

_"Zee..." Her eyes blinked open, looking up at him. His body above her's blocked the light from the ceiling fan above their bed, silhoetting his face in a semi-etheral light. His hair, long, wavy, and blonde, hung around her head like a halo, tickling her chin and the lobes of her ears. His amber eyes stared down at her, his eyes drawn into a curious scowl. "Wake up. I'm not leaving..."-_

"Zosia?"

The feral snapped out of her thoughts, looking to the Professor in his chair. Scott stood over her again, and she watched him lift Sari's carrier. "Yes?"

"Here, I'll take the diaper bag, too." Scott said, lifting the black bag from her shoulder. "Come on." His voice was soft as he spoke to her, and he even held his hand out to help her stand. She took his hand, and he pulled her up beside him. "You'll have to change."

"Hmm?"

"Miss, you can't have anything metal beyond this room." the female guard said, her voice friendly. "Magneto is a very dangerous mutant- he could take the button from your jeans and kill you with it." She held the white scrubs out to Zoe. "We have these for you to change into. If' you'll come with me, there's a room back this way you can changed in." She glanced to Zoe's hands and the white-gold ring. "Your husband can hold the baby for a minute. He'll have to hold on to your ring as well."

She thought to correct the guard, but changed her mind. Sari was safe with Scott- she was sure of it. "Yes," She said softly, turning to the tall men beside her. "Here, honey. I'll be right back."

Scott looked mildly surprised, almost scowling, but he set the carrier and diaper bag down at his feet. With his hands empty, Zoe carefully transferred Sari up against his chest. Scott put one hand under Sari's bottom, and the other over her back, cradling her carefully so that the baby feral's head rested just over his collarbone. When she was sure her cub was safely held, she followed the guard through the little door back towards the receptionist.

In a sterile, white room, she shed her shoes and jeans, and pulled on the scrub pants. She tucked her bra and her tags, unseen, into her folded jeans. "Scott can hold onto these for me, I'm sure. He didn't care to go in with the Professor and I." she said to the guard, as amiably as she could, as they went down another little hallway into a large observation room.

There were three guards stationed inside the room, two at computers and one standing behind the professor's chair. Scott was talking to a short, stout man with frame-less glasses and a short goatee. Sari was crying against Scott's chest- a tired cry as though she'd been woken up.

"Had two kids of my own, and I got three little grandbabies." said the man, though his voice seemed lacking in care or joy. He smiled at Scott, holding his hands out. "Mind if I quiet the little angel?" The man had a slightly southern accent, and a commanding voice as though he were used to people jumping to do his bidding.

Zoe stopped in her tracks. Something about this man- his voice, the way his lips moved... It was so familiar.

"She's just hungry, I think. Her mama will be back in here to feed her in a few minutes." Scott said, giving the man an almost smile. He turned his head to see Zoe, and bodily turned to her. "There she is."

As soon as the man caught sight of her, he turned to walk down the hallway behind him. "Can't blame a grandfather for offering. Cute little thing!" The stout man said over his should in what should have been a friendly tone, but seemed rather flat.

The voice sent ice water chills down her spine. She had heard that voice before- she just knew she had- but from where?

"She needs her mommy." Scott said, a slight blush covering his face as he held her cub out to her. "I don't have the, uh... hardware for the job."

Forgetting the strange man, Zoe quickly took her cub into her arms, rocking her and patting her back. It didn't take but a few seconds for the baby to calm down at the scent of her mother. "Who was that man?" she asked.

"That's Colonel Stryker, ma'am." answered one of the guards. "He's the boss here."

"Sari will have to stay out here with Scott." Charles said gently. "He'll take good care of her."

"That's what daddies are for!" said the female guard, coming around to get a good look at the baby. "Oh, she's a cutie!"

"Alright." Zoe said to the professor, gently holding the calm Sari out to Scott. He gently took the cub back into his arms, cradling her protectively in his arms. When Sari didn't cry out, the feral mother moved to Charles's side. She rubbed her arms with her hands, brushing the goosebumps away. That name... that face... She shook her head, clearing it.

"Are you ready then?" one guard asked. He gestured to the glass doors Zosia had yet to notice. "Step through the scanner, please. Mr. Laurio will lead you inside Magneto's cell."

Looking through the glass, she could see a plastic box, suspended from the ceiling, with white furniture inside it. Something within it moved, and she instantly recognized her father's figure inside it. She walked to the sliding doors for a closer look, and Charles followed her in his plastic chair. "They locked him in a plastic box?"

"His mutation is that he can control metal. They had to special make this prison just for him." said a guard, stepping up behind them. He was of average height and sported a beer belly large enough to stretch the button holes of his uniformed shirt. Zosia backed a step away before she got a good whiff of what she was sure would not be a clean human scent, and wanted to gag anyway when she could see that he had taken her movement to mean that she was afraid of him. "Hard to keep some mutants locked up, you see." The guard gave her an appraising once-over with his eyes, lingering on her chest before meeting her eyes again.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes, I know."

The greasy guard led them down a long plastic tunnel, and then the door to the jail cell was remotely opened for them. It took all she had not to rush to Eric's side and wrap her arms around him. He was sitting silently at the desk now, and looked up to Charles with a neutral expression. When she stepped through, his eyes widened up at her.

"Got the good ol' Professor here to see you, Lehnsherr." Laurio said with mock-cheer, pushing Charles over to the table. "And he brought one of his students with him, too. Ain't that sweet?" He gave Zoe's chest another glance before looking back at Erik, one hand over his sheathed baton. "Any funny business, Lehnsherr..."

"I'm sure we will be fine." Zoe said, her voice a touch dismissive. Laurio only nodded, stalking out of the cell and back down the tunnel. Once he was out of the tunnel, and they were locked in, she turned back to her surrogate father. In a second, she was settled on the floor beside him, sitting on her knees. "_Mein Lehrer, mein Vater._" she murmured, putting her free hand on his knee where the guards couldn't see her, gently touching him as though to make sure he was really there.

"Zosia." He smiled, patting her hand. "I see your tom took my advice."

She felt tears welling up in her eyes- whether from the relief of seeing her father caged but alive or from the mention of the mate she was fighting with. The feral managed a nod. "Yes, Victor had left us under the safety of the _Professeur_."

"And the baby?"

"Growing." answered the girl. "She's getting bigger every day."

"Where..?"

"With Scott back there." She gestured to where the tunnel had been atatched to his cell. "Safe."

"If you come back here again," he said gently, taking her hand in his to examine the gloves that cleverly hid her claws. "Keep her far away from here."

"_Mein Lehrer?_"

"Trust me, my dear. This place is no place for mutants. Especially ones so fragile." He settled her hand back down. "Where is your tom?"

The feral's face fell from its smile back to a slight pout as she turned to look at the floor. "I think he is in New York somewhere... I am not sure anymore..." she murmured.

"Hmm? What is the matter?" Eric scowled.

"Just a fight, _Vater_... A really _bad_ one."

* * *

"I think I lost it in here somewhere last night." Marie mumbled, opening the door to Zoe and Ororo's room. She looked to Jubilee beside her with a playful scowl. "Probably when a certain someone was using my back as a _ladder_."

"No idea what you're talking about." Jubilee returned with mock-innocence.

Marie rolled her eyes, stepping into the quiet room. She walked to the end of the bed. "I swear... I was going to lend those earrings to Wanda for her date with Piotr tonight..."

"I thought Kitty was dating the metalman?"

"Eh, you snooze, you lose."

"But... they're already having problems. Now Wanda will make it worse."

"So?"

"Well, I just-"

Marie gave the Chinese girl a dubious look. "Right."

"Well, what would _you_ do if-"

**-*Kiss me- K-k-kiss me- Infect me with your loving- Fill me with your poison- Touch me- T-t-touch me-*-**

"What the-?" Marie looked up at the desk beside her. Zoe's phone was stuck between a crumpled t-shirt and a clean diaper.

"She left her phone?" Jubilee asked, eyes wide. "She does't leave the room without her phone!"

"I know, right?" The skunk-haired teen lifted the little blue phone before it could vibrate its way off the desktop, reading the blinking screen. "It's Victor."

"Victor- Sari's daddy?" Jubilee crossed her arms. "You gonna answer it?"

"I don't think so."

"Oh, come on! He was such an ass to Zoe last night! She was so depressed this morning! She hardly even smiled at _Sari_!"

"Yeah, she looked so sad."

"Cause her husband's a no-good ass."

Marie nodded. "Right. You know what... I think someone should tell him just that."

"Righ-!" Jubilee was cut off as Marie shoved the phone into her hands.

"You do it!"

"Me?" Jubes shoved the phone back, shaking her head, "Why me?!"

"Why me?!" returned Marie.

"B...because you picked up the phone!"

"I was your idea to tell him off!"

"Yeah, but you agreed!"

"Because you are right, but it was still _your _idea!"

"I can't do it!" The Chinese teen pouted.

"Why the heck not?"

"Because... because you do a better Wolverine impersonation!"

Looking at the other girl as though she'd grown another head and six eyes, Marie's eyes widened. "I... what?!"

"You could- like- maybe sound threatening or something!"

"Threatening? Are you daft?"

"No.."

"Then quit acting like it and tell him off."

"You say something!"

"Why do I have to say something? You do it!"

"You do it!"

"You do it!"

"No, you do it!"

"Jubilation Lee, you do it!"

"No, Marie- you do it!"

"_Would one of you just fucking shut up and do it?!_"

Both girls yelped and fumbled for the phone. Marie looked at the screen and winced. Somehow in their shoving, they'd managed to put it on speakerphone. "Who is this?" she asked.

"_Who the fuck is this?_"

"Who the heck is this?" asked Marie, scowling.

"_...Okay- where is Zee?_"

"She's not here. Who is this?"

"_Where is Zee? What are you doing with her phone?_"

"That's not important. Who is this? Is this Victor?"

"_Not important? That's a five-fucking-thousand dollar phone, ya little brat! You-_"

"Is this Victor or not?" Marie snapped. Her eyes widened when she caught herself, and she turned to look at Jubilee. Jubilation looked just as surprised.

Victor's voice was almost calm when he answered, but the glint in his eyes was easily read from his voice. "_If you _must_ know._"

Jubilee scowled, leaning down towards the phone. "You are an asshole! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"_Wha-Hey! What the fuck?!_"

"Zoe was only worried about you!" yelled Jubilee. "And you yelled at her!"

"_Alright, kid, give the phone to Zee- right-fuckin-now!_"

"She's not here, you idiot!"

"_Well, then-!_"

Marie put the phone to her lips. "And even if she was, who says she'd even want to talk to you after you yelled at her like that?"

"_You fucking little brat! Just who the hell do you think you are?_"

"Who the hell do _you_ think you are?"

"_I think I'm going to _rip _your_ fucking throat out_ when I set eyes on you, kid!_"

"Yeah, right. Like you ripped Logan's throat out on the statue a month ago, right?"

"_Logan? What the fuc-_"

"God, you're such a stupid jerk!" Jubilee said dismissively.

Marie smirked. "Yeah!"

"_Stupid... Are you retarded?_" Victor stammered. He growled over the phone. "_I'm fuckin' Sabretooth! I eat little shits like you for breakfast!_"

"Am _I_ retarded?" Marie hissed. "You're the moron that couldn't tell up from down!"

"..Up from fuckin' what?"

"Up from fucking _down_, you flea-bitten, smelly, hairy, mangy, no-good excuse for a mutant! If not for _Toad_, I'd still be hanging upside down from the _Statue of fuckin' Liberty_!"

"_You'd what?!_"

"I bet your brain's no bigger than my pinky finger!"

He sputtered again for a second. "_You little... Kid, I'm gonna kill your whole damn _family_!_"

Jubilee hopped up and down, snatching the phone from Marie. "I bet your.. I bet your dick is tiny, too!"

"_...What?!_"

"Yeah!" Marie smirked. both girls broke into a laugh while big, bad Sabretooth was shocked into a stunned silence. "Like a five-year-old!"

"_...How the fuck would you know?!_"

"How many times did I have to watch you take a leak over the edge of the boat?" asked Rogue, "Needledick!"

"_Boat?.. Statue- who the fuck- You're that god-damned poison girl!_"

"Ding, ding, ding! Give the boy a prize!" Marie deadpanned.

"_Kid, I don't know what the fuck it is you're smokin' but ya either got ta share it or learn ta shut the fuck up!_"

"You know what, Mister Big-shot Murder man?" Marie went on. "Zoe deserves a hundred times better than you could ever dream of being."

Jubilee nodded. "Make it one thousand!" She gave Marie a conspiratorial look. "Oooh, I wonder when Logan's gonna come back? Maybe Zoe will fall in love with him!"

"Yeah, Wolverine is a better man."

"_What the fuck?! Logan-Wolver-fuckin-rine?!_" Victor's voice yelled across the phone. "_Fuck the runt! I take care of what is_ mine!"

"Yes, Wolverine!" Jubilee continued. "He'll be back here soon, and I bet he'll sweep her off her feet!"

"He's got a thing for redheads, you know." said Marie with a smirk.

"_I will fucking kill him..._"

"I bet he'd be a better daddy so little Sari, too."

That did it. "_I'M GOING TA BURN YOUR FUCKING SCHOOL TA THE GROUND, YOU FUCKING BRATS! THE RUNT BETTER KEEP HIS HANDS TO HIS FUCKIN' SELF OR I'LL RIP HIS CLAWS FROM HIS ARMS ONE BY FUCKIN' ONE!_"

"My Gods, man!" Pull your head out of your ass for one freaking minute!" Marie finally hissed. "For some reason- Lord knows what- Zee loves you, you big dumb tom! And you're treating her like _shit_! She cried like all night because of you- hell, she was crying when she left with the professor this morning!"

"_Come on, kid, give me a break._"

"No, you give me a break! I'm not playing around!" said Marie. She gave a sigh, sitting in the rocking chair. "She was up all night- Storm said so! She couldn't sleep! All she wanted you to do was tell her you'd be more careful- reassure her that everything would be okay- and you yelled at her like she hurt your freakin' pride because she gives a shit what happens to you!" She slammed a fist down on the arm of the chair. "She was ready to burst into tears when she left this morning!"

"_Where did she go?_" Victor asked, his voice an irritated growl, but not a yell.

"To visit an _old friend_."

"_...Erik?_"

"Bingo. I heard the professor tell her in the hallway that they were going to visit her _Vater_."

"_...Fuck._"

At his comment Marie let out a loud laugh. "Oh my God! You are so boned! She's telling Daddy on you!"

"_Fuck you, little girl!_"

"Oh, and believe me, Snagglepuss, when Erik sees you next, he's gonna rip you a new one!"

"_Did you just call me Snagglepuss, bitch?_"

"Want worse? And this time it won't be some isolation cell in the middle of an island, either!" And with that, Marie clicked the 'End Call' button, hanging up on him.

* * *

What do you think? Tell me in a review!

~The Lady Mage


	21. Chapter 21

Greetings from The Lady Mage!

Victor is going to get a little lesson in his transgressions in this one, folks. Just for funzies. LOL Hope you enjoy!

* * *

FERITY: (fehr-ih-tee) - (noun) - 1.) The state of being wild or untamed. 2.) Savagery; Ferocity.

* * *

"Fucking Magnet-head..." Victor grumbled, dialing another number into his phone. "You better pick the damn phone up, Bluebutt!... Gonna kill those fuckin-" He cut himself off as the phone clicked.

Mystique's voice came over the line. "_Yes?_"

"We got a problem." he growled.

"_What?_"

"When you spring Erik, I need you to talk ta him for me."

"_...About what, tom-cat?_"

"Zee and I had an argument- she's pissed."

There was a pause. "... An argument?" Mystique clicked her tongue. "_About what, pray tell?_"

"Look, Bluebutt- that's not important! We just had a stupid fight- just like we always do! Today, she's apparently visiting your magnet, and I know she's going to say something that will piss him off!" Victor growled again, digging his claws into his palm. "I need you ta go talk ta him before he tries to fuckin' _off_ me before we finish this little business venture of his. Try to rip all the goddamn iron out of my fuckin' blood or some stupid shit!"

"..._Rip the iron out of your..._" Mystique paused again. "_Mmm. Okay, how big of a fight?_"

'_Shit._' The blonde winced. "Just an argument."

"_Okay, but how big of an argument?_"

"Not very big- just a disagreement. Just fuckin' talk ta him, will ya?!"

"_Disagreement, my blue ass!_" Mystique hissed. "_She called me this morning, asshole, and told me all about your little disagreement!_"

"Goddamnit, Myst!"

"_You really fucked up big time on this one, Viccy._" said the shapeshifter. He could hear her moving papers around on her end. "_I mean _really_ fucked up!_" Something slammed. "_I mean, for Christ's sake, Victor! She calls you- _crying_- because she's actually concerned about your big, ugly ass, and you yell at her for it?!_"

"Hey, she yelled at me first!"

"_So what? You are such an idiot! She was _emotional_- she just had a baby a month ago! It comes with the whole mother territory! She thinks your ass is going to get killed- like our brother just got killed- and you _hang up on her_?_"

"I didn't do a damned thing wrong! It's not like I invited a camera crew to- Look, I just need you to-"

"_Aww, poor baby need a sugar-tit?_" Myst cut him off. "_Calm down, Victor. You're going to have to do something really big to make up for this. She was very upset when I talked to her this morning._"

He growled again, leaning back against the truck's passenger seat, watching the cars drive by his parked vehicle. "Great."

"_I mean she was _leave-your-ass_ upset._"

"What do you mean _leave_?"

"Leave!_ As in _divorce_ or whatever the hell you ferals do to break shit off! You rejected her, dumbass! She thinks you don't _love_ her anymore!_"

"God damn! Frails ain't worth this shit!"

"Zee_ is not a _frail_! Is_ Zee_ worth this shit? You idiot..._"

"You are the second person today to call me that. It's getting old fast!"

"_Idiot?_" Mystique actually chuckled. "_Who the hell else called you a idiot today?_"

"That damn Rogue."

"_...HAHAHAHAHAHA!_"

"Shut the hell up, ya yappy broad!"

It took a few seconds for the shapeshifter to calm down enough to speak again. "_Oh, God, Vic... Priceless... Okay, now, in all seriousness, do you love her? Zee, I mean._"

Victor scowled darkly. "Alright, Smurf-butt..." He growled loudly once more. "If ya have ya ask me that, ya really need ta have your head checked."

"_I thought so. Well, if you love her then you have to do something to fix this mess._"

"Yeah, but what?"

"_Well, Bucko, you better think of something- and I don't think diamonds will work this time!_"

"Why not?"

"_Are you stupid? Did you mother have any children that lived?_"

"Bitch, I'll show you fuckin'-"

"_Look, Tomcat, I'm going to spell this out for you... in a language you can understand, savvy?_" Mystique said calmly, her voice slow and even as though she were explaining something to a small child. "_Victor- that's you, Dum-dum.. Screwed- as in fucked in a bad way... Up- as in the direction._" She paused to let it sink in. "_Victor- A.K.A. Dum-dum- needs to make it right- as in correct! VICTOR SLASH DUM-DUM needs to make ZOSIA- that's the pretty redhead you pissed off- HAPPY- as in no longer PISSED!_"

"Well no duh, Raven. Knock it off with the baby-talk!"

"_Victor-slash-Dum-dum..._" Mystique ignored him, continuing. "_Need to find something that will make Zee- that's the pretty redhead- SMILE again... before her big SISTER- and that would be ME- comes to __**KILL**__ him!_" She paused with a sigh. "_Now, Dum-dum-Victor is the one fucking Zee- Victor should know what makes Zee smile: you know, the HAPPY face?_" She snorted, holding back a chuckle. "_Or else, Victor will be much less fucked than previously stated._"

"ENOUGH, RAVEN!" Victor growled. "I didn't go to college four times to put up with this shit!"

"_Ha! Where'd you go? Dumbass University? You certainly have a master's degree._"

"God DAMN! What I _don't have_ is a fucking translator for **female** to fucking **logic**! I'm about to hang up on your ass!"

"_Okay, Sylvester, let's try and draw a diagram here._"

"Is this going to be like the sex talk, because I don't have a chalkboard this time-"

"_Shut up and be serious for once! There's a point to this madness._" Mystique said. "_Okay, here is ZEE- CRYING!... in NEW YORK! Here is Victor- FUCKED... in NEW-FUCKING-YORK! Are you with me, Snaggletooth?_"

"Yes, I'm fuckin' with ya!"

"_Here is telephone-_"

"I already tried that and she-"

"_Here is telephone with record feature-_"

"Record? Wait- I have an idea."

"_And that would be?_"

"Last truck I had was a piece of shit- radio stuck on some God-awful station. I heard this one dumb song- one of those sappy, pussy songs that all them damn frails like. I can record it and she'd like it."

"_...Vic, you're a dork._"

"What? She'd know I was thinking about her."

"_She needs to know more than just that, you dork!_"

"Well, it's a fuckin' love song!"

He heard a loud slapping sound across the phone. "_Hear that? That's me hitting myself because you're so dumb._" hissed the shapeshifter. "_You need to do more than just that! She needs to know you fucking give a shit!_"

"Hey, I give a shit! I gave her a fucking cub!"

"_That's your daughter you're talking about there, stupid. This is why you are am idiot._"

"Hey, I know that's my daughter! I ain't pissed at Sari."

"_Well, you told Zee that everything was all her and Sari's fault, you over-grown tit! Now she thinks you don't want either of them anymore._"

"I did NOT! Where the hell did... SHIT! SHIT-FUCK-SHIT!" He kicked the dash, cracking it.

"_Idiot!_" Mystique did a convincing impersonation of Zoe's angry growl. "_Yeah, you gave her a screaming, crying baby and then dump her and it off on our enemies for her to raise it! Try thinking about it from her point of view, you ass!_" She paused, out of breath. "_Victor, I'm going to do something I don't normally do, but because she is my sister and I love her, I'm going to try and save your fucking relationship._"

"How the hell do you think-"

"_One- you get her pregnant. Yes, I know she wanted it, but you promised you would be there to help her raise it! Two- one week after said baby is born, you dump her with her enemies. Three- six weeks later, you are seen galavanting around New York buying Twinkies! And four- she calls you to tell you she is worried and wanting a little reassurance, and you hang up on her! Yes, she is blowing it up out of proportion but she's only known you for a couple of years- and never known you to have to run from the law like this. For all she knows, you are dumb enough to get caught without caring about what would happen after. But did you try to calm her down and tell her this? Did you try to explain some of the past you keep so hidden from her?_" Myst hissed.

"No, I-"

"_Well, why didn't you? If you're going to be with her forever, maybe you should tell her about your past. Do you think she'd never find out on her own? Maybe if she knew just what you're capable of, she wouldn't have freaked out so much._"

"Some shit she don't need to know."

"_But that you're safe and know what you're doing _**is**."

"She'll figure it out."

"_Okay, that's it. I'm hanging up now. I tried._"

"WAIT!"

"_But before I go, PULL YOUR STUPID MALE HEAD- AND I MEAN THE ONE ON YOUR SHOULDERS- OUT OF YOUR ASS- AND YES I MEAN YOUR ASS- AND FIND SOME WAY TO LET HER KNOW YOU HAVEN'T ABANDONED HER AND YOUR BABY! THAT YOU ARE COMING BACK FOR HER- THAT YOU LOVE HER- THAT YOU NEED HER AROUND- AND DO IT IN A WAY THAT SHE WILL FORGIVE YOU FOR BEING SUCH A SELF-RIGHTEOUS DOUCHEBAG!_"

**(*click*)**

Victor pulled the phone from his ear and dropped it into his lap, staring down at it like this whole mess was its fault. "Damn frails..." He sighed. "Zee... maybe I am an idiot..." The edges of the phone began to blur, and he blinked hard. He must have something in his eyes.

* * *

She sat on her knees at his feet, listening to every word that spilled from his mouth, fearing that this should be the last time she would ever hear his voice- afraid that this was the last time she would ever set eyes on him alive. His quiet murmuring voice soothed her frazzled nerves, and she could feel all the stressful knots in her back loosening as she listened. She missed Erik, but until that moment she hadn't realized just how much.

Would he be put to death for his crimes? Charles had said that with Victor no news was good news. Would the same hold true for Erik? He was already locked up; would they throw away the key for a dream that, however misguided, had never come to fruition? Her heart ached to see him like this. This cold, sterile room was so below his station. Would he ever be free again? No way could she free him. She was but one; the guards were many. Giving away that she knew him outside of whatever excuse Charles had used to bring her here would be catastrophic. Sari was so helpless- if she weren't there, who would protect her?

His voice wove around her subconscious, lulling her into a thick daydream of time spent with her adopted father. The two of them would sit in his study or his private chambers, reading book after book. Sometimes, he would lay down on the couch or his bed, and she would real aloud to him. Other times, she would sit quietly while he lectured her- teaching her things, details that he felt she should know about. Her favorite times were when he would tell her about his life- his experiences. Some of his stories would raise such passion in him that he would unknowingly switch from English to German and back. Sometimes he'd start off into Polish, and she'd have to quietly remind him she didn't understand. Polish was to be her next big lesson, he'd say, but they had never seemed to get around to it.

They would do their study, their bonding, until Mystique would come home or come back in for the afternoon. Could even her sister rescue him? Was she scheming to do so now? Surely so- surely Mystique would free him. They'd been together for years- pulling each other out of countless scrapes. They only question now was how she'd get him out of this overgrown mouse trap.

Suddenly she was dying to say so- to reassure him that Mystique would be along soon enough. But certainly he already knew. She was lost here, torn between wanting to save him and the need to protect herself and her daughter. Any affiliation outside of being a student of Xavier's could mean death. Loyalty or no- and she was very loyal- she couldn't risk Sari's life- not for Erik, or Victor, or even herself.

So she remained quiet, taking immeasurable comfort in the sound of his voice as he exchanged banter back and forth with his oldest friend. Goddess but she hoped this moment would stick with her. Please, let this spell not break and life return to the shell it had become. She did not want to go back to the school! She wanted to go back to their home in the cold mountains with Mystique and Warts and Victor!

Victor... The thought of him brought a new lump to her throat, and her eyes began to well with tears. What had she been thinking? What had he been thinking? Why hadn't she just shut up and watched Scott's stupid movie to she wouldn't have seen that he was on television? She could have lived on in blissful ignorance while he did whatever, risking all their lives. She loved her mate, her husband, her lover, but did he love her?

She realized then that Erik and Charles had gone quiet, and she felt their eyes on her. She must have been thinking to loud; Charles had picked up on her thoughts.

"Are you alright, my dear?" Erik asked, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder. The feral could only nod at him. If she tried to speak now, she'd burst into tears.

"She's just fine." Charles said on her behalf. "Just thinking a little loud, hmm?"

Again she nodded.

"Are you sure?" Erik didn't seem convinced. His brows drew together in a frown as he looked down at her. "You look upset."

"I was only thinking,_ mein Lehrer._" she managed to murmur. "About home." She looked up into his eyes. "I don't want this to be the last time I hear your voice."

"Now, child, you listen to me- and you listen good!" Erik said, his eyes losing some of the concern she had put there. He pointed at Charles as he spoke. "Don't you listen to a word he tells you. A bunch of humans can't keep me locked up forever! You know that as well as he does, and when I do get out I expect you and Mystique to be waiting for me at the door!

She cracked a half-smile. "Count on it. Engine running, ready to go."

Erik put his hand on the crown of her head. "You've much to learn yet, my dear. They can't take me while there is still so much for me to teach you."

"Speaking of teaching..." Charles gently cut in. He smiled down at Zoe, then turned his eyes back to Erik. "I have watched your pupil very closely, Erik. She shows great potential. Not only is she a very learned young woman, but she is quite good with the younger students. Her genius seems to rub off on them."

"I should hope so." Erik returned. "She has a great capacity for learning. Your point, Charles?"

"I think that the school has gone far too long without a language course in its curriculum." said the professor, turning his eyes down at Zoe. "How would you like to become our new German tutor? I think the children would benefit greatly in the long run, and certainly know they will enjoy it."

"Become a tutor? For your lot?"

"It would be something to occupy your time while you are with us. Do you think you would be up for it?"

* * *

The ride home was uneventful. She sat in silence, contemplative. Scott and Charles spoke quietly between themselves, leaving her to her thoughts. Part of her was trying to remember every single word that Erik had said- to print it all in memory for safe keeping. The other part was trying to remember the exact layout of the building, where it was located, and the names and faces of the guards working there. When it was silent tonight- when the students and teachers were sleeping- she would step outside to make a phone call to Mystique. She didn't understand why such a decision left her feeling quite torn. Perhaps because she would have to hide that she had aided in the jailbreak? Was this guilt? Why should she feel guilt- who wouldn't want to help their loved ones? Surely her allegiances weren't on the change.

* * *

Victor drummed his fingers on the little table of his motel room. His lunch of the Colonel's chicken and potatoes was laid out in front of him, growing cold. For some reason, his appetite was gone. The gravy was a congealed gelatinous blob on top of potatoes that were growing crusty as they dried out. The chicken's breading sagged as it grew soggy, grease beading up around where it touched the plastic plate. Even if his appetite came back, he didn't think he'd be able to eat fried chicken for a few years.

His hands kept finding their way into his pocket to pull out his phone. Every time he'd catch himself, he'd put it back, yet it kept ending up in his hand like an expensive blarney stone. Zoe's number kept rattling off in his head, but he'd managed to keep from calling it so far. What would he even say if he did call? She'd probably yell, then he'd yell, then she'd yell some more, and he'd never get to apologi- _er_, make her see his side before they both got so worked up that they would be even worse off than they already were.

Par for the course. Zoe always seemed to blow shit out of proportion. And she harped. And nagged. And bitched... Life was so much easier when they could just beat the hell out of each other to get past this shit... Did he really need this shit?

His chest ached, and he growled. "God-damnit." Pounding his fist upon the table, he took to his feet.

* * *

***ring...ring...ring***

"Come on, Myst... pick up." Zoe half-growled, pulling her furs around her body to keep out the cold. The feral had scaled up to the top of the school, and sat perched on the edge of the roof like a gargoyle come to life. The moon was out and full, lighting up the yard below her, casting shadows around the grand fountain and rows of landscaping. "Mystique..."

***ring...ring...ring-***

"_Hello? Zosia?_"

The feral sucked in a breath. Mystique's hushed voice sent a shiver down her spine. "Myst- I must speak with you."

"_Is this about you and Sylvester again?_"

"No, no- forget that." Zoe half-growled. "It's done and over with. Never mind it."

"_Okay._"

"I saw Erik today. They're keeping him in a ceramic box."

"_I know. I have the schematics for it. I know the layout of the building._"

"...Oh. Alright then." murmured the feral. "I thought perhaps I could help."

"_You are where you need to be with the baby, Zee._" said the metamorph. "_I know where he is and who put him there. What I don't know is the security detail._"

"There were only fifteen guards that I counted. Only three were female. Military training, the lot of them." She tried to remember faces. "There are four big computers controlling his cell, and one computer set up solely to run a metal detector you must go through before being allowed into the cell."

"_You wouldn't happen to know when they change shifts, would you? Did you notice?_"

"Two of the guards monitoring the computers kept yawning, and it was the middle of the day. Perhaps they change shifts in the afternoon?"

"_Perhaps. But that could be pure coincidence, too._"

"I am sorry I cannot tell you more."

"_No, you've been very helpful, Zee. Thank you._"

* * *

Perched as he was, sitting on the bough of a tall oak tree, he could see the entire back of the school Most of the windows were dark. Considering that it was just after midnight, he wasn't surprised. Taking a deep breath, he couldn't differentiate Zee's from the others- not from this far back. He'd found her kills covered with a fresh blanket of snow, and followed her scent trail back to the school.

Hitching his bag up onto his shoulder, he dropped over the edge of the wall, landing in the flowerbeds inside the wall without a sound. With feline grace, he stalked up to the side of the school, skirting along the edge, just under the windows, smelling for some trace of his mate. Finally, along the back corner, he caught a whiff of her scent. He looked up.

A window was cracked open on the third floor for letting steam out of a bathroom. A gentle wind blew, washing the weather witch's scent, his mate's scent and the scent of vanilla shampoo over him. With a smiling smirk, he quickly scaled the side of the building, pulling himself up onto the bathroom ledge. The bathroom was dark and empty, but he could see a sliver of the bedroom through his perch. There was a desk and a rocking chair, and his mate's phone was settled on a pile of folded clothing there. He had the right room.

He took a deep breath at the window. The weather witch had been the one in the shower; her scent was stronger in the bathroom than his mate's was. She had been in here earlier, though, as it lingered on the hairbrush laid on the bathroom counter. With a sharp claw, he tapped on the window, loud enough his mate would hear him, then pulled himself the six feet up onto the edge of the roof, slinking behind a battlement.

* * *

***click, click, click, click, screeech***

Zoe cocked an ear to the bathroom door, laying Sari down on the bed beside Ororo. The weather witch put an arm over the cub, cuddling the baby to her in her sleep. Zoe smiled at them, then turned and walked into the bathroom, pulling the door closed behind her.

The little bathroom window was cracked as usual to allow steam out from Ororo's hot shower an hour before. She stalked up to it with a curious scowl. There was no tree by this window- what had clicked on it? She pulled it open a little more, and a gust of wind blew her hair back from her face.

Victor?

"Vic?" She opened the window, looking down to the ground below her. Were those footprints in the snow? She pulled the window open all the way, stepping out onto the window ledge. Looking up, she noticed the icicles were missing along the rooftop above her, so she gracefully leapt up. She grabbed a battlement's edge, pulling herself up onto the roof.

She could smell him up here, and her heart lurched. He was here- he'd come. "Victor?" She stalked along the battlements, walking around the side of the tower. There he was, leaned against the wall, one foot propped up behind him, arms crossed over his chest. The smaller feral leapt for him, landing against him with her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

"Took you long enough." he teased lightly, wrapping his big arms around her. "I been freezing my ass off up here waiting on you."

"Serves you right." she murmured against his neck, "Meanass... Hanging up on me."

"You wouldn't calm the fuck down!"

"I was scared..." She leaned back enough to meet his eyes, bringing her hands up to cup his cheeks. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you. I'm sorry I blew up."

"Don't worry about me, _lieb_." he returned. "I'll be fine. I been running for a long time." She only nodded, bringing her face forward and kissing his lips. He pulled back when she shivered from the cold. He set her down and gave her a gentle shove towards her corner of the mansion. The smaller feral grabbed his hand, pulling her along with him as though she was afraid he wouldn't follow her.

Together they walked to the edge, jumped down, and climbed into the small bathroom window.

* * *

The Lady Mage


	22. Chapter 22

Greetings from The Lady Mage!

Welcome to chapter 22! I enjoyed this chapter immensely. I also had some help from an old friend of my own, Leonaria Dragonbane! Thanks, so much, _mon Dragon! _You know I love ya! :)

Read, enjoy, review!

The Lady Mage

* * *

FERITY: : (fehr-ih-tee) - (noun) - 1.) The state of being wild or untamed. 2.) Savagery; Ferocity.

* * *

On the second floor of the Xavier Institute, a lamp turned on in a handsomely decorated bedroom. Charles blinked in the bright light, then gave up the ghost and shut his eyes again. Something was amiss somewhere. Sometimes this hypersensitivity was a touch maddening. He quickly swept his consciousness over the rooms around him, counting sleeping children as he went, careful not to interfere with their dreaming. All accounted for. Jean and Scott were curled up together in their own bed, not twenty feet away from him through the wall.

Mentally, he walked up the stairs, moving down the hallway to Ororo's empty bedroom, then to Zosia's room. Ororo and Sari were asleep on the bed, dreaming of rainforests and bubblebaths. Zosia was missing. He sent out another snake of consciousness, up, up, up...

The feral was on the roof. With _Sabretooth_.

"Well, well." he murmured to himself, gently touching the larger feral's thoughts, scanning them for motives. "Come to apologize?"

His thoughts returned to his long-time student asleep, unaware, in the bed beneath the two ferals, and gently prodded her consciousness. "_-Ororo... You must wake up, Ororo... Storm...-_"

"_Hmm?_" Ororo's semi-conscious mumble was just as loud as if he'd been standing over her bed. "_-What's wrong, professor?-_"

"_-Nothing is wrong.-_" he answered her, "_-But I believe Zosia has a visitor on the roof.-_"

"_-A visitor?-_" She was becoming more awake now.

"_-Yes, she's with him. I'm monitoring them now-_"

Ororo sat up in the bed, quickly rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She leaned over, blindly reaching for the lamp on the nightstand and clicking it on. She quickly scanned the room in the light, relaxing when she realized she was alone. Beside her on the bed, Sari squirmed in her sleep, her face drawn into a little scowl.

"I know that face." the weather witch murmured to the sleeping cub. She stood from the bed to pull her robe over her before picking Sari up from the bed. Across the room, under the bassinet, was a pile of clean diapers. Ororo laid the baby feral in the bassinet to be changed. In the quiet of the room, she could hear slight movements on the roof, getting closer.

"_-Charles, are you going to make sure Scott doesn't wake up?-_"

"_-I don't believe we need a skylight on the third floor; of course I'll keep him fast asleep.-_"

Ororo picked up the baby feral, awakened by having her diaper changed, and settled back on the end of the bed. She cradled Sari on her shoulder, gently rocking her. She felt the change as soon as she heard the bathroom window slide closed. She didn't even need a heightened sense of smell to realize that the baby in her arms had picked up an interesting scent. Sari's whimpers at having been awoken for a diaper change turned to soft mewling cries like a kitten calling for its mother.

* * *

He had her pressed against the bathroom wall, his hands on her hips and his lips on her neck, the moment he stepped through the window, twisting her around so she faced the wall. He flipped her hair away from her neck, his tongue finding his mark there. She purred, grinding against him. There was no way she couldn't feel his need for her through their pants. She twisted back to face him, putting a finger to his lips. "Later, _mon Lion_." He only smirked devilishly behind her hand; it was no surprise. Ororo and the cub were only on the other side of the bathroom door- he could smell them.

"Zee?" Ororo's voice came from the bedroom, wide awake. Sari's mewling cries grew louder.

Zoe's eyes widened, "Yes?" she called back casually.

"Come here, please."

The smaller feral turned the knob and opened the door, quietly slipping into the dark bedroom. Ororo turned on the lamp, sitting on the end of the bed in her robe with Sari cradled in a blanket, awake and whimpering. "_Oui, mon moka?_"

"Where is he?" asked the weather witch, her voice light but a touch suspicious. She stood gracefully, waiting.

"He?"

"Sabretooth." Ororo scowled, tapping her temple. "Charles already told me he was here."

The feral returned her scowl. "Prying as usual." She shook her head. "He's in the bathroom."

Hearing that the weather witch knew of his presence, Victor opened the door and walked into the little bedroom, eyes sweeping over his mate's new abode.

Ororo couldn't stop the stab of fear at the sight of the blonde feral. He'd threatened her not once but twice, and his sheer size was enough to intimidate anyone. The fact that Zee was standing in front of him, smiling like she'd just won the lottery, helped her to quickly get her fear under control. He didn't say a word to her, but approached her. Two feet in front of her, he held his arms out. She gently placed the whimpering cub into them. She stepped back, watching him as he awkwardly but carefully settled the baby against his chest, a low rumbling sound she'd only heard recorded on Zee's phone filling the room as he purred for the tiny cub.

Sari had grown so much since he had last set eyes on her. She'd been a scrawny, squalling mess not six weeks ago. Now she was a plump, pink kitten- chubby in all the places a baby should be chubby, whimpering for her milk. "She filled out." he said, reaching out with one knuckle, running it down the side of the cub's face. Sari silenced her whimpering immediately, her tiny nostrils flaring to smell him. Two dark brown eyes stared up at him, the cat's pupils dilating slightly. He smirked down at her.

"Sari, you remember your Daddy, _non_?" Zoe murmured to the cub, rubbing the baby's back. "We don't smell much different from him, _non_?" Sari broke eye contact with her father, resuming her whimpering as she turned her head to root.

"Feed the whelp." he said, passing Sari to her mother and making himself comfortable against the headboard of the bed. He watched the weather witch peripherally, uncomfortable in his presence, as she moved to sit in the rocking chair across the room.

The smaller feral came to settle next to him, laying out on her side with the cub. She lifted the tanktop she slept in, letting the cub nurse. The cub immediately latched on, eyes falling shut and one little fist reached out to claw up a fistful of tanktop. The cub's hair was much thicker now, he noticed, and starting to show a hint of curl along the back of her neck. He reached down, running his palm over the soft fuzz. Smelling him again, Sari paused her movements, opening her eyes to look for the source of the familiar smell.

"Here." Zoe said in a half-whisper, moving them up to sit beside him, tucking herself and the baby into the edge of his coat. Situated, she pulled his arm over her. After a few quick seconds, the cub relaxed and continued her eating. He smirked, rubbing circles on his mate's back with his thumb.

"_-Perhaps you should leave them alone for a little while, Ororo.-_" Charles's voice murmured softly behind the wind-rider's eyes. "_-He's not here to hurt anyone- just to see them.-_"

"_-Are you certain?-_"

"_-If I wasn't, I would have told you to run- not to wait for them to come back into the room.-_" She could imagine him chuckling. "_-Tell Zoe I've called for you.-_"

The weather witch sat up in the rocking chair, taking to her feet and stepping into her slippers on her side of the bed. "Pardon me, Zee," she said neutrally, "Charles is calling me."

"Is everything alright?" asked the redhead, leaning her head back against Victor's chest, her eyes on her sister across the room.

"I'm sure." Ororo managed a smile for her, a nod for Victor, then quietly slipped from the room.

"Finally." Victor huffed after the door closed, reaching his arm down under his mate, pulling her and his nursing cub to rest between his legs. Zoe made that soft giggle sound in the back of her throat, keeping her head laid against his chest. She sighed happily.

"I miss you, _mon amant._" she said to him, bringing her free hand up to draw lazy circles on his chest, tracing the cursive '_Chicago_' branded across his shirt. "It's so hard to stay separated for so long."

"I know." he returned, burying his nose in her hair. "It's not for much longer, maybe." His hand came up to his cub, gently supporting her against her mother. "If the cub gets a little stronger..." His mate nodded, cupping her hand under his.

"She's grown much." Zoe whispered, watching her cub nurse back to sleep. After a few minutes, Zoe pulled her tanktop down, laying the now-sleeping cub on Victor's chest. "I'll get her bed ready."

He pulled her tight against him again before she could move. "It can wait a minute."

* * *

It was a half hour later before he finally let her lay the sleeping cub in her bassinet. Ororo was still gone to see the professor, and the world was quiet but for the sound of the wind outside and their cub's even breathing. Victor had removed his coat, folding it around his cub for a blanket. He'd be damned if she forgot his scent. His mate was settled on her bed, laid out on her back in her tanktop and shorts, one leg pulled up, arms above her head, watching him.

The larger feral leaned down over her, tossing one leg possessively over her, pulling her to face him on the bed. "Now then... How long has it been?" he asked with a smirk, leaning down to nip her neck and the scar he'd left behind her ear.

She purred with a little shiver, her blue eyes sliding closed. "A long time..." When her eyes reopened, they were black as pitch. Her fangs peaked from between her flushed lips.

"A very long time." he agreed, feeling the itch in his gums. He grabbed her hands, holding them pinned to the bed. "Too long." His free hand found its way between her legs. His lips crushed down on her's while his hand teased her through the fabric. Her hands reached up to tangle in his long hair, and he moved his hand up to the waistband of her shorts. When she purred, he slipped it inside.

The smaller feral turned her hips towards him, pulling her lips from his to kiss his throat. "_Verletzen Sie mich? Bitte?_" A knock came from the door. Zoe quickly shimmied away from him, blinking her eyes back to blue. "Yes?" she called. (Hurt me? Please?)

Ororo stepped through the door, shutting it quietly behind her. She glanced at the bed with one raised eyebrow. "The professor has decided to go back to bed." she said.

"Why don't you go join him then?" Victor asked gruffly.

"Be nice.." Zoe scolded him, flicking his hip with her hand. "This is her room as well."

"Did I interrupt something?" Ororo asked innocently. "Do you want me to go?"

"No." Zosia shook her head. "You're alright."

"The news was on in the professor's room." said the wind-rider. She looked at Victor. "You've been spotted- yet again. In a supermarket about an hour from here."

"God forbid a wanted man get hungry." he dead-panned.

"I hope you aren't using a debit card when you're shopping anywhere." the smaller feral teased him with a poke in the ribs.

"Cash only." he told her, "Come on, _Katze_, how long have I been doing this?"

"I worry." she returned, standing from the bed. "You should be in Canada."

"No, I should be in the fucking penthouse but I'm not leading the FBI to our front door!"

"Penthouse?" Ororo looked confused.

"Don't worry about it." he said to her gruffly, giving Zoe a warning glare and a low growl. The smaller feral quickly averted her eyes, stepping back against the wall at the sound of him. He could see the stubborn glare she gave the carpet, and the light blush crossing the bridge of her nose. She had always hated feeling chastised by him- especially in front of others.

Ororo noticed the change in her immediately. "Are you alright?"

Zosia nodded once. "Fine."

He snorted. "What else have you told them?"

"Nothing!" she answered, meeting his eyes. Her's were pitch black again. "I wouldn't do that to us!"

"_Sie werden nie die Treue zu dir._" (They will never be loyal to you.)

"I know." she hissed, her eyes softening.

"Try to remember then."

She scowled, glowering at him. The hint of softness was gone. "I am not a fucking child trying not to tell my sister what I got her for her birthday!" She hissed, approaching him on the bed. "I'm your _mate_- not your charge- and half that shit is fuckin _mine_, so why the holy hell would I tell a soul?!"

"Half?" he teased. "Did you forget about the prenu-"

"Jesus, Victor. When's the last time you spoke to Dwayne, huh? Oh, about two years ago? Guess why." she hissed icily, her voice sending a shiver down his spine. "_Ich hab ihn verdammt noch mal ausgeweidet und ihn zum Verrotten am See hinter seinem Ferienhaus zurück gelassen, für welches er versucht hat dich um Geld zu betrügen. Ich habe die Papiere zerfetzt und sein Gott verdammtes Haus verbrannt."_ (I fucking gutted him and left him to rot in the lake behind his vacation home- the one he was skimming money off you to buy! I shredded the papers and burned his fucking house!)

For two seconds he was in complete awe of her. That vicious hiss, those black eyes, those claws and fangs. He wasn't afraid of her- not his Zee- but at the moment he was just a little bit worried. Worried about his safety, and kinda wondering when the last time he _had_ spoken to that particular lawyer had been. She glared at him with venom in her eyes, looking ready to pounce on him and tear a chunk out of his jugular.

He had never been so turned on. "Really?" he almost squeaked, then grit his teeth.

The eyes faded, fangs shortened, claws retracted, and the feral panther laughed. "_Nein, aber das bekam man hart nicht wahr!_" (No, but that got you hard, didn't it!)

"You little-" He sprung off the bed, launching himself at her, slamming her against the wall, his body pressing her flat. He growled again, his voice low. She growled right back, her claws digging in to his hands where they held her on either side of her body. "I'd stop that if I were you." he warned.

Instead of submitting to him, she struggled, letting out a long string of profanity so jumbled and mixed back and forth between French, German, and English that only she really knew what the hell she was saying. She snapped her teeth at him. "-_And bite it the fuck **off**_!"

He only smirked at her, enjoying watching her get so riled up. He'd take advantage of it later. Letting go of her, he stepped back with a dark chuckle, watching her close her eyes, turning her face up at the ceiling. Her heartbeat slowed before she opened them again, calmer. "Feel better?"

"Not really." She rolled her still black eyes at him, crossing her arms. "I swear you do that on purpose."

"You fuck better pissed." he shrugged.

"Ass."

"Bitch."

Her eyes narrowed again, but instead of playing along, she flung her arms up in the air, turned, and walked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

In her bassinet, Sari let out a soft whimper, squirming in her father's coat, clenching and unclenching her fists. Before the whimpers could become cries, Ororo walked to the baby's bedside. Victor growled at her. The noise made the tiny cub gasp and then cry out.

Ororo fixed the blonde with a dirty look. "Good job, Papa." she half-hissed, doing a fairly good impression of Zoe's venom-laced voice. She lifted the cub up into her arms, settling the baby's head against her neck and patting her back. "Why don't you growl again? Maybe you can give her white streaks in her hair like you did to Marie!"

"She'll get used to the sound." he sneered at her, walking up to her. He was almost disappointed that she didn't cower in front of him. Instead, she only ignored him, soothing his cub with a familiarity that bothered. him. He should be the second in command with the cub- not this weather witch. With gentle hands, claws retracted, he reached out and pulled his cub out of Ororo's arms. "I'll take care of the cub."

"Like you have for the past six weeks?"

He growled at her, startling Sari again. He ignored the cub's cries in his arms. "You think it would have been better for me to drag them along with me so that the little runt would freeze to death?"

"No, I think you should have stayed with Zee instead of following along behind Erik like an overgrown guard dog!" she spat back.

"Now you see here, you little-"

The bathroom door slammed open, and Zee shot out like a flash, pushing Ororo down onto the rocking chair behind her, and shoving Victor in the other direction. "Fuck! I leave for two seconds to cool down and you two start fighting? What the hell?"

Victor ignored his mate, stepping back towards the rocking chair. Zoe hissed at him, eyes black, claws and fangs out. He glared at her. Why was she protecting this X-Man? What was so special about her that she was trying to keep him from hurting her? He snorted, shoving Sari into her arms. "Here, calm the cub." With that, he turned and settled back onto the bed, casually crossing his legs at the ankle. He leaned back, closing his eyes as if to doze off. '_Fuck it._'

The redheaded feral squinted her eyes at him once more before sitting on the desktop beside Ororo's rocking chair. She settled Sari to her breast, quieting the baby. Sari hushed, her cry replaced by a tiny purr. The baby pacified, Zosia turned to Ororo with a frown. "What did they say on the news?"

"Huh?" Ororo frowned back, then realized what the feral meant. "Oh- that they had seen tall, blonde, and feral here," She gestured to Victor on the bed. "Buying food at a supermarket in Franklin County. They had a picture but it was too fuzzy to tell much other than his being tall and blonde." She shrugged. "They had a sketch but it really didn't look like him. Just the hair, beard, and those eyebrows."

Zoe nodded once, understanding. She glanced back at Victor. "Perhaps we should trim you up?"

"Woman, the last time I let you do that I chafed for a week." he teased, eyes still closed.

The redhead rolled her eyes. "You big baby, I meant the hair on your head."

"I thought you liked my hair long?" He raised one long eyebrow, but kept his eyes peacefully shut.

"I love your hair long, but I'd rather have you freshly shorn and free than for you to have long hair in some maximum security prison."

"Prison can't hold me, babe. They've tried." He gave a smug grin.

"You know what I mean." Zoe said, her voice almost a purr. She moved from the desk to Victor's side, settling next to him, propping Sari up between them. "If they are looking for someone with a different description, then we don't have too much worry of them showing up on our doorstep. We would be free, sooner."

"Oh my," Ororo said, examining the clock on the wall with a small yawn. "It's getting very late." She looked back at Zoe. "I'm going to bed... Would you like me to take Sari so that the two of you can be alone? I'm only down the hall."

The redhead glanced at Victor as if for permission, then nodded. "That would be nice. I'll bring her to you when she's through eating."

"Okay." The weather witch smiled. She left the door ajar when she left, walking down to her old bedroom. Inside, she clicked the lock on the door.

The taller feral snorted at the sound. "Like that little lock would stop me."

Zoe thumped his chest. "Be nice to her. For me?" She murmured, casually putting one thigh over his hips. "Please?"

"Well, there goes the threesome."

"Victor..."

"Meh, I won't hurt the little witch." he acquiesced.

"_Merci_." She rubbed her cheek on his chest, scenting him. "_Je vous ai tellement manqué. Il a été une période de six longues semaines._" (I've missed you so much. It's been a long six weeks.) He put his arms around her. "_Je t'aime._"

"_Ich liebe dich._" he returned quietly, smelling her hair.

Sari, finished with one side, let go and grunted again. Zoe shifted her to the other side to finish her meal. "She's got your appetite. We'll be eaten out of house and home."

He chuckled softly. "Let's hope the next dozen or so don't then."

"Dozen?" Zoe snorted. "Don't you think we should raise this one before we go having a dozen more?"

"Nah- we'll get all this diaper and boob and cryin' stuff outta the way. In ten years they'll all be potty trained and out huntin'." he returned. "But no more girls. All boys."

"If you want another dozen, and you account for all the diaper and boob and crying, we're looking at more like twenty-five years." said the smaller feral. "Sari won't wean for a few years. She'll probably be two or three before she's out of diapers. And even small children cry."

"Alright then: six strapping boys."

She giggled. "What is they were six girls?"

"Then we'd have six girls, plus Sari, and then one boy after."

"And if number eight were to be born a girl, too?"

"We'd go for nine."

"And what if-"

"Then we'd adopt!" He scrunched his nose. "Good God Almighty... ten girls under one roof. I'd need a second vacation home! Hell, there'd be ten heat cycles once they got old enough."

"How young would that start?"

"I don't know. If we're lucky then not until after the youngest turns thirty-five."

Zoe laughed. "You know, it's the male's DNA that decides whether or not the baby is a boy or a girl." She looked up to meet his eyes. "I think that there will be several little red-headed girls running around- all of them with you wrapped around their little pinky fingers."

He almost grimaced. "Yeah, probably." He looked down at Sari's auburn head, watching her drift off to sleep. One big hand found its way to the top of her head, sleeking back the short curls. "I'm in for a hell of a lot of trouble with just you, huh, runt?"

"It will be worth it."

"It already is."

His mate sighed happily, moving their sleeping cub up onto his chest again while she fixed her tanktop. Clothing adjusted, she stood from the bed and gently recollected her daughter. She picked Sari's fuzzy pink blanket out of the bassinet and a clean diaper from the diaper bag. "I'll be right back, _mon amant._" She gave him a sexy smirk before slipping out of the door.

Down the hall, Zoe knocked softly on Ororo's door. The weather witch was quick to open it, glancing out beyond Zoe, looking for Victor.

"Is he still in your quarters?" Ororo asked.

"Yes." answered the feral, gently handing her the baby. She followed Ororo into her room, shutting the door behind her. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." she answered non-commitally, laying the sleeping cub down in the middle of her bed.

Zee smiled at her pseudo sister. "Don't worry, _mon moka_. I'll wear him out. You won't have anything to worry about." She winked, backing out of the door. "I already told him a _menage a trois_ is out." She chuckled at the shocked look on Ororo's face, then pulled the door closed behind her and dashed for her bedroom door.

He was still laid out on the bed when she entered, pushing her door shut behind her with a little smirk. His eyes followed her as she rounded the bed to his side, leaning over him to gently kiss his brow.

"_Kommen Sie._" She held her hand out to her mate, pulling him up to sit. Once he was on his feet, she lead him into the bathroom. Victor shut and locked the door behind them. He had her pinned to the back wall, his lips crushing over her's before the lock even clicked. She chuckled against his mouth, gently pushing him back. "Wait," she said with a smile. "We have a problem to fix first." (Come with me.)

"Exactly." he said, bringing her hands down to the front of his pants. "Let's fix it."

"Different problem." She rolled her eyes playfully, leaning forward to kiss the tip of his nose. "Trust me, we'll give this problem plenty of attention in just a moment." She gave him a gentle squeeze as a promise, then slipped out from between her mate and the cold, tile wall. She pulled a small zippered pouch from beneath the vanity's counter. "Will you sit on the edge of the tub?"

The tall, blonde feral nodded, stepping to the bathtub and sitting on its edge. He watched his mate pull a little black hairbrush from the pouch. She set the rest of the pouch in the sink before she started to gently run her brush through his blonde mane. He leaned towards her, closing his eyes, as she carefully brushed out every tangle. Once his hair was smoothed, her hands stopped, and she leaned down, kissing the crown of his head. The brush trailed its way through his long hair one last time before she drew it all up into a ponytail at the base of his neck.

"Ready?" she whispered. When he nodded, she extended one sharp claw, and sliced his ponytail off with one quick swoop. She caught it before it could fall, then laid it lovingly on the edge of the sink. He sighed as the weight was removed from his head. She sighed, glancing at the length of blonde silk on her counter. She'd miss it as much as he would.

Bringing herself back to the present, she looked back down at the top of his head. "How short do you want it, my love?" she asked, running her fingers through what was left of his hair.

"Very short." he answered, enjoying her clawtips on his scalp.

She stepped into the bathtub behind him. "Okay." She pinched up another long lock, cutting it with her claws. When most of the length was gone, she pulled a little pair of manicure scissors from her pouch and used them to even his hair up until it was a tight crew cut. Once his mane was cut away, she walked around in front of him. Using her leg to part his thighs, she stepped up against him, her stomach against his chest. With one soft hand, she lifted his chin. "Close your eyes, _mein Herz_."

He did as she asked, his hands coming up to grasp her hips, pulling her tight against him while she trimmed his eyebrows down to human length. When she had them both neatly groomed, she softly blew the fallen hair from his face. "There." she murmured, "That's better." She leaned down and kissed his head again.

"But now you'll having nothing to hold on to." he teased softly, pulling her tanktop up. He ran his tongue across one nipple, feeling it harden against his lips. She gasped, surprised.

"That's what your ears are for." she replied, making use of them, pulling him back against her flesh. He smirked against her skin before repeating his actions, teasing her nipple. Without looking, he reached behind him with one hand and turned on the tub's faucet, letting the water get hot. When it ran warm enough, he turned the knob until the water came down from the showerhead. He released her skin from his lips before standing up. His shirt was pulled off, his pants slipped down, while she watched him appreciatively.

Naked, he grabbed her up, pressing her back to the wall beside the tub. Her legs instinctively came to hold herself up around his hips. He put his mouth to her's- rough, demanding response. She was more than willing to comply, returning his kiss with the same intensity.

"Lose the shirt." he murmured against her lips. He curled one claw underneath the bottom hem of her tank, cutting it in two with one quick swoop. The fabric fell away, revealing her full breasts.

"I liked that tank." she commented wryly, looking at the ruined black fabric as it fell to the floor.

"Buy ten more later." he said, scooting her up enough to take a nipple back into his mouth. He rolled his tongue across it, enjoying her soft moan. Pulling back again, he let her legs drop, pushing her shorts down until they fell to the floor. He hooked another claw under the string of her thong, giving it the same treatment as her bra. In one quick movement, he had her with him in the shower, her bare back against the shower wall, the water raining down over them.

With a little smirk, she trailed her fingers down his chest, over his stomach, gently tickling him, while he moved his mouth to the crook of her neck and across her collarbone, biting, licking, nipping. She shifted her hips so that she could feel his arousal poking her stomach, wrapping her hands around him.

"Not so fast, _Katze_." he mumbled against her neck, gently pulling her hands away. He lifted her to sit on the little ledge built into the shower wall, putting her face to face with him. She sat, watching for his next move, her eyes dark- feral- her fangs long enough to peek out from under her top lip. He smirked at her, feeling his eyes darken to the same pitch-black. When he felt his canines push down through his gums, he brought his face back to her neck, smelling his mark there.

She bit first, a gentle nip of teeth, sharp enough to just break his skin. She lapped up the blood that beaded to the surface, a soft purr on her lips. His hand crept along the inside of her thigh, kneading the soft skin there. Without removing her mouth from his skin, she covered his hands with her own, moving them to where she wanted his touch. Appeasing her, he slipped his fingers along the folds there, slipping two fingers deep inside her. She bit down hard, groaning against his skin.

Slowly at first, he moved his hand against her, listening to her pant and moan against his neck, moving faster and faster until she stiffened against him, a pink blush coming up across her breasts. She quivered, a shiver running through her body as she clamped down on his fingers.

"_Oh, Vic . . ._" she moaned, leaning back against the shower wall.

He pulled his hand from her body, pushing her legs open wider to cradle his hips against her's. She started to lift her hips, positioning herself over him. "Careful." he growled, leaning down to nip her chin.

"There is no careful." she panted back. "Fuck careful." Her hips moved again, putting him against her slick folds. "Fuck me." she purred, lifting her chin, showing him a glimpse of his mark. "Fuck me, Victor."

* * *

The Lady Mage


	23. Chapter 23

Author's Notes:

OMG- Extremely short chapter! I feel bad putting up one so short, but I figure a little taste is better than nothing... Spring break this week so I should have a little extra time to try to get Chapter 24 finished! (It's almost done- just gotta connect it all...) Anyway, I hope you enjoy even though it is so tiny! Shout out to my buddies The Aniles for her German proofreading and to my friend Kristy for proofreading! Thanks, guys! :)

~The Lady Mage

* * *

FERITY: (fehr-ih-tee) - (noun) - 1.) The state of being wild or untamed. 2.) Savagery; Ferocity.

* * *

It was almost annoying sometimes how she knew just where to touch him to get him to do just about anything. She could smile at him and make him want to give her the world. She could brush against his skin and melt away a bad mood, or purr and soothe his nerves, calm his rages. For years he'd been a loner. He didn't feel much need for pack or family- not anymore, really- but he somewhat enjoyed the Brotherhood. He had his reasons for helping Erik, and enjoyed annoying the shit out of his 'siblings' on a regular basis- be they the ones here or the larger groupings across the sea.

Her hands were making slow, exaggerated circles across his bare back. He was laid out on his stomach on the bed, naked as the day he'd been born, enveloped in the inky darkness of the room. She sat against the headboard beside him in an identical state, drawing pictures with her fingertips against his skin. They'd sated their lusts- for now, at least- before scrubbing clean in the cold shower. The bedding and blankets had been washed that day, and though they hinted of Ororo and Sari, they smelled fresh and clean.

She spelled her name down his spine, then gently drew her hand over the skin as though she were erasing imaginary ink. She gently drew a V, then a cross, and finally a letter Z. Satisfied, she leaned down, pressing her lips to the skin between his shoulder blades, enjoying the clean smell of soap mixed with his unique scent.

He almost felt like purring. Moments like this were hard to come by, and he would miss this when he had to leave again.

"This makes me miss our home in Canada,_ mon amant_." she whispered against his skin, sliding down so that she lay next to him. "I miss waking up and laying with you." She smirked, pulling his arm so that it was over her. "And naked laundry days."

He smirked, his eyes still closed, as he tightened the arm she'd put around herself. "When there was no one else home and we walked au natural while the sheets dried on the line." he half-murmured, relaxed.

"Mm-hmm." She nodded, cuddling up to him. "And I'd cook breakfast... ham and potatoes and eggs..."

"I always stuck to the damn kitchen chairs." his eyebrow quirked and she chuckled. "What are you laughing for? So did you."

Zoe chuckled louder. "Just remembering." said the smaller feral, leaning up to place a kiss on his nose. He snapped at the last second, capturing her mouth instead. Within a few seconds, he had her under him, pinned to the bed.

He tangled one hand in her hair, and used the other one to push himself up so that he was looking down at her. Her eyes were pitch black, reflecting the dim glow of light shining from beneath the bathroom door. The pearly white fangs from her mouth were poking out from between her lips. Fully feral, she waited, her breathing shallow. With a smirk, he let a low growl rumbled through his chest, watching her suck in a breath and arch her back. "Does _meine Katze_ like that?" he teased darkly.

She started to move her mouth to answer, but paused to turn her head towards the door. When he tilted his head similarly, he heard what captured her attention.

Down the hall, the weather witch's door opened and closed, and the hungry mewlings of the cub rang out into the night.

"It must be four in the morning." Zoe said softly, gently disentangling herself from his strong arms. "...We'll... continue this..." She smirked, standing from the bed.

"Damn straight, we will." he said, reaching out and slapping her ass. She laughed, dancing away from him to grab his shirt from the floor. He watched her, flipping over onto his back, as she slipped into his '_Chicago_' t-shirt.

Before Ororo could knock on the door, Zoe pulled it open. "Four A.M. on the dot." Ororo said softly, her voice amused, as she handed the crying cub to its mother. "Do you need me to come back?"

"No, we have her." said the redheaded feral, cuddling her cub. "Thank you for watching her for us."

"Anytime." Ororo smiled. "You know I love the _petite chat._ I'm going back to bed. Goodnight, Zee." (little cat)

"_Bonne nuit, mon moka. Merci._" (Goodnight. Thanks.)

"_Jeuh t'en prie_, Zee." (You're welcome.) said the wind-rider, giving Sari one last pat on the back. "_Bonne nuit, Chaton_."

Shutting the door, Zoe carried the fussing cub to her rocking chair, taking a seat and hiking her mate's shirt up to nurse the poor baby. Victor watched her curiously for a moment before standing out of bed. Without warning as to his intentions, he deftly lifted his mate from the rocking chair, turned, seated himself in it, then planted her in his lap with his cub against his chest. The redhead only giggled, leaning her head down against his collar bone.

* * *

"How have you kept busy these past weeks?" asked the redhead, watching Victor gently lay Sari in her bassinet. "Besides buying Twinkies in random gas stations across the state?"

The paternal feral ran his fingers over his cub's auburn hair, then tucked her soft pink blanket around her to keep her warm. Finished, he turned back to his mate laying in the bed. "Hey, I been eating Twinkies since they put cream in 'em instead of that nasty banana shit." he answered with a smirk. "Odd jobs mostly. A few easy marks and the like." He joined her on the bed. "Made a little blood money."

"Your favorite kind." she smirked at him, cuddling to his side. "Mystique is running around as a Senator apparently. I'm sure you knew that, though."

"Yeah. Has an even more annoying spouse now than when we were all back up in Canada."

Zoe chuckled. "So I hear. Well, perhaps she will do some good in Washington."

"I think it may be a little too late now,_ Katze_."

"I don't know. I've listened to Erik for a long time, but I still think a little diplomacy never hurt anyone. It certainly can't hurt to try."

"Yeah, but I don't ever expect humans to decide to welcome us all with open arms. Not when we are the future and not them. They'd fight if only for survival. Put yourself in their shoes- you're a human on the edge of the era of humanity." He chuckled. "It's a losing fight, of course, but I don't begrudge it to them."

"Not every human hates us."

"Enough of them do." He shrugged. "It's the 1800's again, but our skin is a lot lighter. Wanting us to come forward and register because this time they can't tell who is the human and who is the slave by skin-color alone... well, except for Bluebutt." He snorted and she grinned. "There are groups of humans out there who spread hate and lies, saying that mutants are not the future but are freaks of nature- stupid, overgrown stem cell atrocities that should be sterilized at birth so they cannot reproduce."

"We are at one with nature- not freaks of nature." Zosia frowned.

"Yet they think we are less evolved than they are- that we're stupid neanderthal running among them- something that went wrong."

The redhead laughed. "I can't speak for everyone, but I know damn well that we are not stupid neanderthal. We read and write and think just as well- if not better." She moved atop her mate, straddling his hips. "We're just as capable of every human emotion... just with a bit more mixed in." She leaned down, laying on him. "But I still don't think they're monsters- they're not near as capable of being so as we."

"Has living here made you a pacifist?" he chuckled, bringing his arms up over her.

"_Nein_." She shook her head, fanning her hair out over them so that it hung down around his head where she lay over him. "Just trying to be aware of the other side, I think."

"Just be careful."

"Ha. I could tell you the same, my love."

"Never said I shouldn't be careful, too." He rolled them over so that she was beside him, his arms still around her. "I'm not going to get my ass caught on a whim."

"You better not... You better come back to us."

"Never say that I was false of heart, though absence seem my flame to qualify. As easy might I from myself depart as from my soul," He gently caressed the skin over her heart with the pads of his fingers. "Which in thy breast doth lie... Never believe, though in my nature reigned all frailties that besiege all kinds of blood, that it could so preposterously be stained to leave for nothing all thy sum of good; for nothing in this wide universe I call, save thou, my rose. In thou art my all." He leaned down, planting a gentle kiss on her nose.

Zosia smiled, lovingly running a hand over his stubbled cheek, then playfully bopped him on the head. She chuckled at his half-way surprised look. "Vic, you're a dork." He only grunted, quirking an eyebrow. "You do know what happened to MacBeth and Lady MacBeth, don't you?"

Victor smirked. "...They both died..."

"If you're going to quote Shakespeare at me then quote the comedies, my love." She leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Our lives are too tragic for anything else right now."

He smiled wryly, leaning down to nuzzle the side of her face with his own. "What takes your fancy?"

"Hmmm... Why are our bodies soft and weak and smooth? Unapt to toil and trouble in the world, but that our soft conditions and our hearts should well agree with out external parts?" She recited quietly, running her hands over his shorn head. "Come, come, you forward and unable worms. My mind hath been as big as one of your's, my heart as great, my reason haply more, to bandy a word for word and frown for frown. But now I see our lances are but straws, our strength is weak, our weakness past compare that seeming to be most which we indeed least are. Then veil your stomachs for it is no boot, and place your hands below your husband's foot in token of which duty, if he please, my hand is ready. May it do him ease."

Victor snorted. "You know that is sarcastic, right?"

"Oh, you actually _can_ read!"

He growled playfully, pinning her hands and bringing his face down to her's. "I'll show you read..." He pulled her arms above her on the bed so he could hold both of her wrists with one hand, then used his other hand to run his claws over her ribs. The redhead half-roared, wriggling away from his tickling claws.

"Vic!" She squirmed again, "Quit!"

The blonde only tickled her harder until she finally giggled, then cut her off with a kiss. She laughed against his mouth, wiggling her hardest to escape his tickling hand. When he quit tickling her a second later, he pulled away. "For someone who says they miss me, you sure don't seem to want to kiss me." he teased.

"It's hard to kiss you when I'm busy trying to escape!"

"Oh, so now you want to get away from me, huh?"

She giggled again. "Whatever!"

"Don't whatever me, Zosia Creed!" He tickled her again, leaning his head down to nibble her neck. "If you don't want me here, I'll just go on out the windo-"

The redhead pulled her hands free and threw her arms around his neck. "No!" She pulled his head back up to look into his eyes. "Don't go just yet. Please?"

The mood of the room sobered instantly. His eyes softened, peering into her's. "The sun will be up in an hour." he said softly. "Can't be seen leaving here." He cupped her face with one hand. "Can't risk being seen this close to you, babe."

"But you've been up all night! You need rest- and you haven't eaten a thing!" She frowned, concerned. He smirked in amusement. "Please, why not sleep out the day? I'll bring you something to eat, and then you can leave out tonight when it gets dark again."

"I don't think that the little professor would like that much." Victor joked, pecking a kiss on the tip of her nose. "Or any of his little ever-faithful students."

"I don't care what they like." returned his mate, gently poking him so he would let her up, "And I don't for a second believe you do, either." She stood from the bed, and looked down at him, totally relaxed on the bed. "What do you want for breakfast? Eggs over easy? Fried ham and potatoes with rosemary?"

His stomach growled- loudly.

"Ha! You _are_ hungry." She smirked. "I win. Come on."

* * *

Thanks for reading! :)

~The Lady Mage


	24. Chapter 24

Author's Notes: Another short chapter! I can't get this out of my head- it had to be written! Hopefully more to come soon!

* * *

FERITY: (fehr-ih-tee) - (noun) - 1.) The state of being wild or untamed. 2.) Savegery; Ferocity.

* * *

The refrigerator was cool against his bare back as he stood, leaned against it, one arm bent behind his neck, the other across his belly, holding a bottle of soda she had found for him. He crossed his legs at the ankle, relaxing. She was perched on the edge of the island counter-top, absently twisting an auburn ringlet around one finger, watching the slab of ham in the skillet in front of her sizzle. The smell of baking biscuits wafted through the room, and the familiarity of the routine- even in foreign surroundings- soothed the nerves of both ferals.

In her moses basket on the table of the breakfast nook, Sari let out a soft snore, gathering her father's attention. Victor set the soda down on the counter beside Zoe, then walked up to his sleeping daughter. With gentle hands, he lifted her up into his arms, cradling her against his bare chest. The cub let out a soft sigh, stretching out like a kitten. He cupped his hand behind her head while she laid along his arm, holding her so her stomach was flat against his chest, and let her arm and leg dangle beneath her.

"She looks like a cat in a tree." mused Zoe, sliding off the counter-top to turn the sizzling piece of ham with a fork. She peeked into the oven to check on her biscuits, then pulled a carton of eggs from the fridge. "How many eggs do you want, my love?"

"Six or so." he answered, returning to his position against the cold fridge, carefully tickling Sari's bare feet and watching her squirm to move away from his fingers. Zosia watched him with a snort of amusement, cracking eggs into a mixing bowl.

In a matter of minutes, fresh biscuits were pulled from the oven, fried ham-steak steamed beneath a mountain of cheese and scrambled eggs, and the two ferals were cuddled up in the breakfast nook to eat their meal together. Sari was laid back in the basket to continue her slumber, and Zosia took up residence in Victor's lap.

"_Schmeckt es dir_?" Zoe purred. Not terribly hungry, she gave up her fork to curl up against his chest. (Is it good?)

"_Ja_. Just like always." he answered, planting a kiss on her temple. In short order, he finished his meal, and watched his mate jump up and put all the dishes in the sink for washing.

With her arms elbow-deep in suds and a toothpick chewed between his fangs, the pair of ferals fell into a comfortable silence in the sleeping mansion. Sari napped under her father's watchful eyes while her mother cleaned the plate and frying pan. The relaxing quiet, the soft sound of a pan being scrubbed, the smell of a good breakfast still heavy in the air, seemed to transport them out of New York. For a few peaceful moments, it was as if they were sitting back in their old kitchen in Canada, waiting for Mystique or Warts or Eric to walk in and begin their day.

So when Jean walked in a few seconds later, it took a handful of seconds for it to process. Victor noticed her first, and his half-surprised, half-amused grunt drew Zoe's attention.

"What in the-?!" Jean's eyes were wide for a few seconds. The grogginess was gone from her now, as her heart pumped a nice shot of adrenaline through her body. "How in the-?"

"Jean?" Zoe dropped the skillet and rag back in the sink, wiping her hands on the dishtowel on the counter-top. "You're up early."

"Yeah- I was thirsty." said the redheaded telekine, crossing her arms under her bust. "When did you get here?" she asked Victor.

"Couple hours ago." he returned coolly, resting his arms on the tabletop.

"We thought you would be back in Canada by now."

"Hnt." He grunted non-commitaly taking another swig of his warming soda.

"Are you going to stay here long?" Jean asked stoicly, moving to the cupboard for a mug.

"Just until it gets dark again." Zosia answered for him, settling the clean pan on the rack to dry. He grunted again, agreement. "... Is Scott asleep?"

Jean smirked in amusement, filling her mug with water and sticking it in the microwave to warm. "He's quite asleep, actually." She glanced at the handsome clock on the wall above the nook. "But I'd take the back staircase if I were you; he usually gets up around five-thirty, and it's ten-til now."

"Alright." said the redheaded feral. "We're just finishing up anyway."

* * *

"_...Zosia... Zoe..._"

There was a gentle tickling just beneath the skin behind her ears, just enough to rouse her to consciousness. A lazy hand rubbed the skin there, but it didn't ease the feeling.

"_Zoe... Wake up._" Charles's gentle voice rang behind her eyes. "_Zoe..._"

The redheaded feral sighed, stretching out on her side of the bed. "Yes, professor?" she murmured aloud, hazily checking on Sari asleep beside her. Victor was so deeply out that he was purring, one arm wrapped protectively around their cub.

"_Can you sneak away for a few minutes?_"

Becoming more awake, Zoe yawned, looking at the clock on the wall. "Can? Yes... Want to? No." she half-groaned, but forced herself to roll out of bed.

"_I have something to show you._"

The feral grabbed a pair of black track pants and a green t-shirt from her closet and quickly yanked them on. She checked on her mate and cub one last time, then quietly slipped from the room. The stairs were taken in twos as the feral hurried her way to the professor's office on the ground floor. The door was open for her to breeze inside. "Yes?" she asked, no hint of impatience in her voice.

Charles chuckled softly, crossing his arms on his desktop. "Sleep well?"

Zoe quirked an eyebrow at him. "Depends on your definition of well." she returned with a smile.

"I suppose." he said, good-natured. "This will be a short and to-the-point little meeting then, so that you can return to your family upstairs." When the feral only nodded, a curious scowl on her face, he gestured to an opened cardboard box on the side table. Two identical boxes sat, unopened, beneath it.

Zoe's scowl lightened as she reached into the opened box and pulled out a white and green textbook. The front of the book was designed with a picture of the German flag and a group of blonde-haired and blue-eyed highschool students posed, smiling, in a line. "_Introduction to German_" was in bold, black letters across the front. The feral's expression turned quizzical. "You... you were serious?" she asked quietly. "You really want me to teach?"

"Yes." Charles gently took the book from the feral's hands, opening it to the table of contents. "I very much believe that not only will the students be interested in learning a new language, but that you would be just the right person to teach it."

"I'm destined to be here for at least a while longer." Zoe looked amused. "I suppose I may as well do something to earn my keep, so to speak." She pulled another book from the box. "When do I start?"

"Your mate will be leaving this afternoon?" The professor drummed his fingers on the page opened before him. "I think it should only take a day or two after for you to read over the book and the lesson plan."

"...I've never really taught anyone anything before." The feral's expression became pensive.

"Oh?" Charles smirked. "I think that both Marie and Ororo would say otherwise. They certainly didn't speak much French before you came along."

* * *

"..._Dodo, l'enfant do, l'enfant dormira bien vite... dodo, l'enfant do, l'enfant dormira bientôt..._"

Victor squinted open his eyes in the brightly lit room. Sunlight was streaming in from the open miniblinds beside the bed, bathing the entire room in a soft, buttery yellow glow. The light was warm on his bare skin where it touched him, raising goosebumps along the skin that it didn't. Zoe's down comforter kept him warm from the waist down, and he was comfortably sunk into the down pillows he rested on.

"..._Tout le monde est sage, dans le voisinage... Il est l'heure d'aller dormir, le sommeil va bientôt venir..._"

He turned his head towards the source of the sound. Across the room, Zoe sat in her rocking chair, Sari held cradled in her lap. The feral mother sang softly to her cub, and the baby smiled, listened, and then made her own soft cooing sounds back.

"..._Dodo, l'enfant do, l'enfant dormira bien vite... dodo, l'enfant do, l'enfant dormira bientôt..._"

"Where'd you learn that one?" Victor's voice was gravelly with sleep.

Zoe turned her eyes to him, a gentle smile playing on her lips. "Hmm?"

"Never heard you sing that one before." he half-heartedly shrugged, then stretched his arms out over his head, popping his shoulders.

"Oh." Zoe shrugged back at him, pulling Sari up to her shoulder. "I don't know. It just seems to pop into my head when I rock her sometimes."

He grunted, watching her. "What time is it?"

"About five."

"Have you slept at all?"

"A few hours this morning." She broke into a full smile, reaching out to pull her German text from the desk beside her chair. "I've been reading."

"Oh, I see." Victor lifted the blanket at his waist in invitation, "Come back to bed, woman." Zoe chuckled, setting the book down before slipping into bed beside her mate, their cub sandwiched and comfortable between them. Victor pulled them in close, pulling the blanket up to their shoulders and squeezing his family against him. Sari cooed at him behind her thumb knuckle. "Now, go to sleep- both of you- while I'm still here."

"Yes, sir." said Zoe, playfully, letting her eyes slide closed.

* * *

Marie was a girl on a mission. With all the stealth she could muster, the teen carefully- quietly- stuck her head around the corner, silently taking roll of the group of unsuspecting students across the foyer in the rec room. John, Bobby, Wanda, Piotr, Kitty, Theresa, Paige... No sign of Jubilee.

"Finally." breathed the teen. With a touch of grace, the skunk-haired girl slunk along the dark paneled wall to the back staircase beside the kitchen. She took the stairs in sets of threes, up the three flights, her algebra book and homework clutched to her chest, and peaked down the hallway towards Ororo and Zoe's rooms.

"-_Where are you going_?-" Jean's voice whispered just behind Marie's eyes.

Marie clutched her hand over her now pounding heartbeat. "Oh mah gosh! Are ya tryin' ta give me a heart attack?" she whispered to thin air. "I thought we were done with our session? Why are you still in my head?"

"-_Residual bond_.-" Jean's voice paused. "-_You should come back dowstairs, Marie_.-"

The teen rolled her eyes, knowing that if Jean was still bouncing around in her head, that the redheaded professor would know she was doing so- but she didn't care. A streak of rebellion ran through her. "Out of my head, telekine!" said the teen, sprinting down the hallway to Zoe's closed door. She didn't bother to knock- Zoe had always told her to just come on in anyway- so Marie pushed it open, then slid it closed behind her.

The bedroom was dark but for the little light streaming in around the blinds on the window. Zoe was asleep on her bed, curled on her side beside Sari, who was wide awake. The cub was contentedly sucking her thumb knuckle, watching the light change on the ceiling as the fan gently swayed the blinds against the window. Marie smiled at the baby, shifting her homework under her arm as she walked to the edge of the bed.

"Hello, Sari." she said softly to the cub, gathering the baby's attention. "Did you have a fat nap? Hmm?" Sari grinned up at her around her knuckle, cooing like a dove. "Yeah, a nap puts me in a good mood, too, huh?" She reached down to run a satin-gloved hand along the curls atop the baby's head. The cub cooed again, giving her legs a good kick.

* * *

Victor used a soft, white hand towel to wipe the fog from the little bathroom's mirror with one hand; his other hand, laden with fluffy, white shaving cream, spread its soft film across his five-o'clock shadow. Outside would be dark in a few hours, and he wanted one last grooming in before he would have to begin the hike back to his hidden, stolen vehicle. He ran the blade of Zoe's pink razor down his cheek. He was only half paying attention to his refection in the mirror. The other half of his attention was on the other side of the closed bathroom door where he could just hear the quiet purr of his sleeping mate, and the soft sighing snore of their cub as they slept together on the bed.

It was surprising that the redhead hadn't so much as stirred when he slunk out of bed. Most nights all he had to do was shift his weight and she would wake up enough to make sure he was still there- perhaps because he used to sneak out to go on his contracts so that he didn't have to take her with him. Not that he would have minded the company, and she had gone with him many times, but he didn't want to advertise his one major weakness to the undesirables he always seemed to find himself working with.

She had been awake now for a night and two days, during which she had not only satisfied the needs of their cub, but the lecherous needs of her mate. Without the pregnant belly, she'd regained every last sinew of flexibility that Sari had stripped of her, and she'd been just as eager to show him as he had been to be shown. The way she could bend her legs and twist her spine...

The razor dug into his chin, bringing his thoughts back to the task at hand. A droop of blood welled up on his chin before his skin healed over. With a roll of his eyes, he rinsed the razor before continuing his shave. Within a few minutes his face was as smooth as Sari's backside. The last straggling bits of shaving cream were wiped away with the towel around his waist before tossing it into the clothes hamper behind him.

The feral gave himself one more once-over in the mirror before he would go looking for some clean boxers in his bag beside Zoe's bed. Out in the hallway, he heard feet running towards his mate's room, and the door quietly open and close. With his hand on the doorknob, Victor scowled. '_What the-?_'

He heard her before he smelled her- that skunk-haired poison girl- murmuring soft words to his awakened cub. Her smell had been all over the room when he had arrived last night, just like the weather witch's had been. Another cub, he supposed. How many would Zoe adopt before she could leave this place with him?

Victor smirked. '_You picked the wrong door, girlie._' He pulled the bathroom door open. Marie met his eyes in the dim room, backed up a step with a loud, choked gasp, and dropped her books to the floor with a loud thud.

* * *

Cliff hanger! Love it! Please review!

~The Lady Mage


End file.
